Welsh Blankets
Dylan John Thomas
Dylan Thomas Wales
International Dylan Thomas Day - 14th May
Each 14th May, Dylan John Thomas, his life and work are celebrated and this date is known as International Dylan Thomas Day (Dylan Day for short). Considered to be one of the greatest Welsh poets of all time, Thomas is largely known for his imaginative use of language and vivid imagery in his poems. The 14th May is the anniversary of the date when Under Milk Wood was first read on stage at 92Y The Poetry Center, New York in 1953.
Dylan Thomas Wales, born in 1914, died in 1953. More "All About Wales" Articles", click here...
Celebration Days and Festivals in Wales
Here is a short list of celebration days and festivals in Wales. All these days are listed on the "Celebration Days in Wales" page below.
Life of Dylan John Thomas
Born on 27th October 1914, in Swansea, South Wales, Dylan John Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems
- Do not go gentle into that good night
- And death shall have no dominion
- Under Milk Wood
Dylan became exceptionally popular during his lifetime, and this continued after his premature death 9th November 1953 at the age of 39 in New York City.
Early Career
Dylan John Thomas dropped out of school at sixteen to become a junior reporter for the South Wales Daily Post. By December of 1932, he left his job at the Post and decided to concentrate on his poetry full-time. It was during this time, in his late teens, that Thomas wrote more than half of his collected poems.
In 1934, when Thomas was twenty, he moved to London, won the Poet's Corner book prize, and published his first book, 18 Poems (The Fortune press), to great acclaim. The book drew from a collection of poetry notebooks that Thomas had written years earlier, as would many of his most popular books.
Two years after the publication of 18 Poems, Thomas met the dancer Caitlin Macnamara at a pub in London. At the time, she was the mistress of painter Augustus John. Macnamara and Thomas engaged in an affair and married in 1937.
London Era
In 1940, Dylan John Thomas and his wife moved to London. He had served as an anti-aircraft gunner but was rejected for more active combat due to illness. To avoid the air raids, the couple left London in 1944. Thomas recorded radio shows and worked as a scriptwriter for the BBC. Between 1945 and 1949, he wrote, narrated, or assisted with over a hundred radio broadcasts. In one show, "Quite Early One Morning," he experimented with the characters and ideas that would later appear in his poetic radio play Under Milk Wood (1953).
New York Era
In January 1950, at the age of thirty-five, Dylan John Thomas visited America for the first time. His reading tours of the United States, which did much to popularise the poetry reading as a new medium for the art, are famous and notorious. Thomas was the archetypal Romantic poet of the popular American imagination — he was theatrical, engaged in roaring disputes in public, and read his work aloud with tremendous depth of feeling.
Dylan Thomas Boathouse
Dylan John Thomas lived at the Boathouse in Laugharne, Carmarthenshire from 1949 to 1953. The Boathouse is now a heritage centre and contains audio visual presentations, original furnishings and memorabilia and a selection of paintings, prints and photographs. It was in the Boathouse where Thomas would write many of his later poems including 'Do Not Go Gentle' and 'Under Milkwood'.
The boathouse is situated in a stunning location and we believe that it is well worth a visit not least for the Dylan Thomas memorabilia but also for the beautiful views.
Dylan Thomas Boathouse postcode SA33 4SY
How Did Dylan Thomas Die?
Dylan John Thomas toured America four times, with his last public engagement at the City College of New York on 19th October 1953. A few days later, he collapsed in the Chelsea Hotel after a long drinking bout. On November 9th, 1953, he died at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York City at the age of thirty-nine. The official diagnosis was that he died from a swelling of the brain caused by pneumonia and poor oxygen supply. Dylan's body was brought back to Wales, and he was buried in the churchyard at Laugharne on 29th November 1953.
He had become a legendary figure, both for his work and the boisterousness of his life and almost thirty years later, a plaque to Dylan was unveiled in the Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey.
About FelinFach
Located in Pembrokeshire Wales, our ethos is defined in the three words...
NATURAL TRADITIONAL HANDMADE.
- Hand woven iconic Welsh blankets and Welsh tapestry blankets.
- Hand dyed yarn, dyed with natural dyes only - no exceptions!
- Handmade candles, candle accessories, Candle Making Workshops and soapery.
- Natural Dyeing Craft courses.
- Yarn shop, yarn bowls, project bags, tools and accessories for knitters and crafters.
- Welsh Gifts, souvenirs, made in Wales, handmade in Wales.
We are a proud supporter of Americymru, the Campaign for Wool, Global Welsh and Red Dragon America.
Last updated 8th May 2024
