Dylan Thomas Day

On 14^th May 1953, Under Milk Wood, written by Dylan Thomas, had its first staged reading at the 92nd Street Y Poetry Center in New York. To commemorate this event, 14^th May has been designated as ‘Dylan Day’, a day chosen to celebrate the life and work of Dylan Thomas.  

Literature Wales  has invited everyone to join in the fun and a host of events has been planned, in the UK and around the world, from creative writing workshops, literary tours, educational resources and readings in unusual places!

If you would like to hear ‘Under Milk Wood’, a rare recording of a 1957 broadcast, narrated by Donald Houston, is available through the BBC. Or if you would like to read poetry, stories or plays by Dylan Thomas, or delve into biographies or critical essays about the author, have the look at our catalogue. We've plenty for you to choose from! 

                        Inside Dylan Thomas' Writing Shed in Laugharne.

                           (Photograph courtesy of: Alison Beckett)

Dylan Thomas and his ugly, lovely town

With the centenary of his birth this year, Elijah Wood on location in the city filming Set Fire to the Stars - the latest movie to centre on the life of Dylan Thomas – and the replica shed heading out on tour, what better time to rediscover the life and work of Swansea’s famous son? As you’d expect, we have a good selection of books written by and about Dylan Thomas in our collection!

He’s best known as a poet (if we ignore his fame as a drinker!), so there’s a lot to choose from if you’re looking for a collection of poetry to dip into. You’ll find a good selection of short stories too, if that’s more your thing, as well as his classic A child’s Christmas in Wales, though you may want to hang on a few months before dipping into that one! If you’re more interested in the man than his work, or want to find out more about one to better appreciate the other, give one of the many biographies a try. Finally, if you’d like to take a leaf out of Elijah’s book and follow in Dylan’s footsteps round South West Wales, you’ll want to take a look at Dylan Thomas’s Swansea, Gower and Laugharne, which offers an excellent introduction to Dylan’s life and background in relation to the areas he loved and the writing they inspired. And we live in a beautiful part of the world, so frankly, these places are worth a visit whether or not you have an interest in Dylan Thomas!

Worm's Head, as seen from the beach at Rhossili. Dylan Thomas was once stranded on the headland, cut off by the tide!