Thomas, Dylan (Marlais)

(born Oct. 27, 1914, Swansea, Wales—died Nov. 9, 1953, New York, N.Y., U.S.) Welsh poet and prose writer.

He left school at age 16 to work as a reporter. His early verse, as in The Map of Love (1939), with rich metaphoric language and emotional intensity, made him famous. In the more accessible Deaths and Entrances (1946), with “Fern Hill,” he often adopts a bardic, oracular voice. In Country Sleep (1952), containing “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night,” and Collected Poems (1952) followed. Thomas's prose includes the comic Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog (1940); a play for voices, Under Milk Wood (1954); and the reminiscence A Child's Christmas in Wales (1955). His sonorous recitations contributed greatly to his fame. Debt and heavy drinking began taking their toll in the late 1930s, and he died of an alcohol overdose while on tour.

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