  |
|
|
|
Dylan Thomas was addicted to beer and then hard liquor most of his adult life however he was one of the most prolific poets and writers of his time.
Dylan Thomas was exposed to alcohol early in life because his father was a heavy drinker. There was also a tendency towards liquor in his mother’s family. As a reporter for the South Wales Evening Post, drinking beer became a popular pastime shared with fellow male journalists which he carried to extremes for the rest of his life. Dylan Thomas Early LifeDylan Thomas was born in the seaport town of Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales to David John Thomas and Florence Hannah (nee Williams) on October 27, 1914. His middle name, Marlais, was taken from the name of a stream. His father, who wanted to be a poet, was a senior English Master at Swansea Grammar School where Thomas was educated. Although he did not speak Welsh, he picked up the rhythms of the language and began writing poetry while still at the school. Dylan Thomas’s first poem was published when he was twelve-years-old in the Western Mail but actually it was work that was copied from Boy’s Own Paper. However other poems that he wrote for the Grammar School paper were originals. Instead of going on to higher education studies, Thomas went to work as a trainee newspaper reporter for the South Wales Evening Post. His first book, 18 Poems (1934) was published when he was twenty-years-old and he became a new voice in English literature. It was followed by Twenty-five Poems (1936) which further established him as a poet. Dyland Thomas Love LifeDylan Thomas had a love affair with Pamela Hansford but she went on to marry Lord (C.P.) Snow. On July 11, 1937, Thomas wed Caitlin MacNamara, a marriage that turned out to be stormy with rumors of infidelity on both sides. They had three children: Llewelyn Edouard, who was born on January 30, 1939; a daughter Aeronwy on March 3, 1943 and a second son, Colm Garan Hart, born on July 4, 1949. Thomas did not make for a good husband, being described as a natural bohemian with irregular earnings and he was often in debt to his friends. Dyland Thomas AlcoholicDyland Thomas was addicted to alcohol all of his adult life. His work and relationships were affected by it and although he could be charming at times, with some liquor in him he would become anarchic, upsetting and awkward. Beer was his choice of drink in the early years but as he grew older, he developed a taste for hard liquor. Alcohol was linked to the volatile relationship with his wife and may have added to their infidelities. It has been said that he drank to reconcile the chaos in his life. In the final years of his life, his health deteriorated dramatically exacerbated by his asthma and years of heavy smoking. Thomas died on November 9, 1953 and was buried in Wales; his wife Caitlan was interred next to him in 1994. In spite of Dylan Thomas addiction to alcohol, he was a prolific author, writing not only poetry but essays, short stories and plays. He once said, “My poetry is the record of my individual struggle from darkness toward some measure of light.” And his words, “Do not go gently into that good night” are as moving today as when first published. Bibliography: Andrew Lycett. Dyland Thomas: A New Life. Overlook TP. NY: 2005. Dylan Thomas. Selected Poems. New Directions. NY: 2003
The copyright of the article Alcoholic Authors: Dylan Thomas in Biographies/Memoirs is owned by Martha R. Gore. Permission to republish Alcoholic Authors: Dylan Thomas in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
|
|
|
|
