[close] Dylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet. He is regarded by many as one of the 20th century's most influential poets.

In addition to poetry, Thomas also wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, with the latter frequently performed by Thomas himself. His public readings, particularly in America, won him great acclaim; his booming, at times ostentatious, voice with a subtle Welsh lilt, became almost as famous as his works. His best-known works include the "play for voices" Under Milk Wood and the celebrated villanelle for his dying father, 'Do not go gentle into that good night'. Appreciative critics have also noted the superb craftsmanship and compression of poems such as 'In my craft or sullen art' and the rhapsodic lyricism of Fern Hill.

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