Wales Celebrates Its Poet LaureateDylan ThomasBy Valerie SummersWhat do Bill Clinton, Pierce Brosnan, Jimmy Carter and Paul McCartney have in common? I discovered the answer on my recent journey to the United Kingdom. They all share a passionate admiration for Dylan Thomas, the Poet Laureate of Wales. This year, on the 50th anniversary of his death, commemorations for this unique and colorful cultural icon are in the offing in the land of his birth. Among these, a film depicting his life is in production. Map of Love, the name of one of his collections of poetry, has also been chosen as the film’s title. “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” is perhaps the most oft quoted of his works. Born and raised in Swansea, which he referred to as “an ugly, lovely town,” the headstrong young Thomas, son of an educator, was forbidden to speak in his native tongue. In those days, the lyrical language was deemed low class. This seemed certainly to be a factor in his frustration as it is said that “he wrote passionately in Welsh through the medium of English.”
Throughout this year of commemoration, the Centre will host an exhibition by artist Ceri Richards who made a succession of works on the theme of the cycle of nature connected with the poetry of Thomas. A production of Noel Coward’s Hay Fever, which Thomas starred in back in 1932, and a performance of Under Milk Wood, among other events are also scheduled. Throughout Wales, special commemorative events and festivals are being held. Just around the block from the Dylan Thomas Centre, one evening, I was enchanted with Dylan Thomas readings by the vivacious Pat Hughes of the Merlyn Theatre at Morgan’s, a posh, newly opened Swansea hotel. She was accompanied by a talented harpist who offered a taste of the extraordinary singing talents which the Welsh are noted for.
Armed with a set of booklets on the Dylan Thomas Trails, I set out on my venture down memory lane at The Mumbles, a colorful seaside resort where the youthful poet spent too many hours at the local pub. I made my way down the Gower Peninsula to Rhossili’s headland and long beach, beloved by Thomas, with the wild and wonderful seascape of crashing waves edged by limestone cliffs, rolling hills and dramatic threatening gray clouds above. I ambled through Uplands Walk, which included his childhood haunts of Cwmdonkin Park with its formal flower beds and a large memorial stone bearing his name. I passed the site of the Old Grammar School, now part of the Swansea Institute of Higher Education, which Dylan attended from 1925-1931. Here the young writer contributed to and eventually edited the school magazine and participated in several school plays. He once humorously wrote “If I had been born and brought up in an igloo and lived on whales, not in it…it would have been unlikely…I become a writer.”
Dylan Thomas tragically died at the age of 39 while visiting New York. He and wife Caitlin are buried together the small cemetery in Laugharne’s St Martins Churchyard, marked by a single white cross. American Airlines Wales Tourist Board BritRail provided a comfortable and relaxing train trip from London to Wales. They offer a rull range of bargain train travel products designed for visitors to Great Britain. Swansea Marriott Hotel is located in the picturesque Maritime Quarter minutes from city center with views of Swansea Bay. |
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Since my mother shares the same birthplace as Thomas, my interest in this enchanting area of the world, as part of my heritage, has become intense. I began my quest at the newly opened (1998) Dylan Thomas Centre, formerly the Guildhall, situated in Swansea’s Maritime Cultural Quarter. The attractive, modern building houses the Dylan Thomas – Word and Image exhibition, paying homage to the gifted, but tormented poet. His life story, with pictures, both moving and still, and his rich, melodious voice fill the exhibition space. As I wandered through, I was moved by this tormented, talented soul’s life. I learned of his tumultuous and reckless marriage to Caitlin, his children, and his alcoholism. The exhibition includes unique archive material, manuscripts, artwork, books and original sound recordings. There are also touch-screen computers, listening posts and a “spelling wall” with magnetic words taken from Dylan’s poems. I followed his life from childhood in Swansea to his untimely death in New York. It became apparent that his great love for his native Wales inspired his writings as he wandered along what are now known as the Dylan Thomas Trails.
Thomas was born in his parent’s home at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive. Growing up, he spent many hours in his small bedroom overlooking the “long and splendidly curving shore” of Swansea Bay, filling his notebook with poetry. This past December, I was sent a Christmas card from a Welsh friend with the beginning of Thomas’s A Child’s Christmas in Wales, picturing a young boy, looking very much like the poet, sitting by a window, probably in his bedroom, writing. During the year 2003, special talks will be offered at this venue.
I ventured down Wind Street, the focal point of Dylan’s brief career on the local paper and one of the few areas which escaped the 1941 blitz. The newspaper offices, at the top of the street, also housed the mortuary which the young reporter frequented for copy. Lining the street were several pubs and cafes where reporters regularly hung out and where Thomas might have begun his love affair with the bottle.
My adventure continued as I enjoyed the scenic drive to the township of Laugharne. I stopped to admire its seaside castle where Thomas often visited with owner, Richard Hughes, sometimes using the gazebo on the castle grounds as a writing perch. I wandered along a narrow, earthen path to visit the site of Dylan’s final home both in life and death. After a short walk, I came upon a small unpretentious building known as The Boathouse perched on the side of the cliff and close by, his writing shed. Upon entering, I found modestly furnished rooms of original furniture, memorabilia, literature and recording by and about the poet. It was here that Dylan ostensibly spent his last years with his wife and three children although he was probably found more often in the pub up the road at Brown’s Hotel. Later, I visited the cozy pub, sat at his special corner table and lifted a pint in his honor. It was probably here that he was inspired to write his play for voices, Under Milk Wood, portraying the various village characters who came and went.