false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1223636087m/763031.jpg 763031 7 This collection of short stories' title refers to James Joyce's 1st novel, the semi-autobiographical A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. It may also refer to Joyce's dog phobia. Like Joyce, Thomas fictionalises events of his life. In terms of style, the collection marks a transition period between the obscure, dream inspired prose found in Adventures in the Skin Trade & Under Milk Wood's comic realism. Several stories explore the poet's developing sexuality. In Extraordinary Little Cough there's humor in the story of a girl he loves, even tho he doesn't "like anything she said or did". It's a light-hearted look at the trivial nature of young love. A bleaker vision of sexuality is revealed in One Warm Saturday, when he falls in love with a girl & then loses her in a nightmare world of stairs & doors. Here love is frustratingly unsatisfying. Most important relationships are masculine friendships for Thomas. The Fight details friendship's beginning with a fight between two boys resulting in the decision that they'll edit a paper for fun. In Where Tawe Flows he attends a meeting of men who plan to collaborate in the writing of "a Novel of Provincial Life". Friendship & the creative process are closely linked, each aiding the other's development. As Thomas developed as a writer he also developed as a drinker. Old Garbo sees him revelling in the taste of beer with "its live, white lather, its brass-bright depths". He then proceeds to describe a night of legendary comic indulgence. These events are material for his writing. He promises to "put them all in a story by & by". The story shows how carefully he cultivated his persona as a bohemian alcoholic writer. The Portrait stories, unlike earlier ones, follow more closely rules about narrative structure. He retains the themes of love, death & religion. His approach is more humorous & he moves away from the intense introspection of his poems. Eventually, in Under Milk Wood he will go on to examine the interactions of a whole community. 2149678 1940 Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog total:318|5:122|4:113|3:68|2:13|1:2| 318 1294 460 25 5 1 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Jul 18 20:06:56 -0700 2007 Sat Jul 28 21:00:11 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Thu Apr 05 06:07:56 -0700 2007 Mon Jun 18 21:06:18 -0700 2007 0 0 false false Wed Nov 26 20:02:10 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 26 20:05:30 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1975 Thu Dec 11 14:27:01 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 11 14:31:45 -0800 2008 Six 2 0 false false Sat Jul 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 20 22:05:06 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 14 11:51:31 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Wed Apr 22 14:16:49 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 22 14:30:29 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 1980 Wed Jan 14 17:25:33 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 14 17:27:16 -0800 2009 1 3 0 false false Thu Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Mon Jun 15 13:10:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 15 13:11:30 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Tue Mar 10 05:43:52 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 10 05:45:48 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1969 Mon Feb 09 06:16:32 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 09 06:22:12 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Fri Oct 09 13:36:23 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 09 13:36:23 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Mon Dec 08 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 04 14:48:49 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 08 18:26:11 -0800 2008 Mmm Dylan Thomas about sums it up. ]]> 0 0 false false Wed Oct 14 14:49:41 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 14 14:49:48 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Fri Mar 21 22:05:46 -0700 2008 Sun Mar 30 16:36:12 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Feb 21 21:00:47 -0800 2008 Fri Feb 22 07:43:23 -0800 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 24 11:43:46 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 24 11:43:46 -0700 2008 3 0 false false Fri Mar 21 18:04:25 -0700 2008 Fri Mar 21 18:05:22 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Sun Mar 30 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Feb 22 19:58:05 -0800 2008 Tue Apr 01 06:07:54 -0700 2008 39 years is all some people need. Haystacks & unspoiled boydom. A great collection of short stories about the young poet's dog's life.]]> 5 0 false false Tue Feb 05 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 26 20:52:02 -0800 2007 Tue Mar 18 21:17:30 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Fri Sep 05 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Aug 24 21:28:10 -0700 2008 Thu Sep 04 20:56:39 -0700 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=763031