Thursday, January 18, 2007

Writer's Corner

Dylan Thomas

Born October 27th, 1914, in Swansea, Wales, Dylan Thomas is primarily known for two things; being Wales' greatest poet and for being an alcoholic. However, it is a common belief that his alcoholism did not influence his writing. His famous quote is "An alcoholic is someone you don't like who drinks as much as you do". I'm not sure how someone could claim that did not affect his career, when he died at the age of 39 after collapsing in the White Horse Tavern in Greenwich Village. I suppose his career and his writing are two separate things, but this clearly and eternally ended his career. His writing, however, was truly exceptional, and his impact to the literary world is still felt today. He used such powerful imagery to paint pictures both grim and uplifting, and easily made connections between concepts usually not connected.
Here is a great selection of his work, and here is a nice bio site.

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