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Do Not Go Gentle - the dying days of Dylan Thomas
It's November 1953 and Dylan Thomas, Britain's finest poet, is dying in a hospital bed in New York. What brought him to this end is not clear. But he is a man tormented by fear – fear of failing as a writer, fear of a marriage doomed to end in disaster, even fear of death itself – all of which have led him to find comfort in alcohol, outrageous behaviour and the arms of other women.
Now, as Dylan lies waiting for the end, he thinks back over his life, from his childhood in Swansea to his days as a wild young poet in London, from his tempestuous marriage to Caitlin MacNamara to his final weeks in New York.
Dylan Thomas may not have wanted to die but he had little desire to live. An interesting and attractive figure, who was doomed. Do Not Go Gentle paints a picture of a man who has clearly reached the end of his tether.
Now, as Dylan lies waiting for the end, he thinks back over his life, from his childhood in Swansea to his days as a wild young poet in London, from his tempestuous marriage to Caitlin MacNamara to his final weeks in New York.
Dylan Thomas may not have wanted to die but he had little desire to live. An interesting and attractive figure, who was doomed. Do Not Go Gentle paints a picture of a man who has clearly reached the end of his tether.
96 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 5, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 27, 2017
This series of non-fiction titles each focuses on one celebrity and details their life stories. This is not something which has previously interested me, as I would rather a detailed and lengthy insight, but finding this on my shelves I decided to give it a go. I was not expecting much from a book measuring in at under 100 pages, however.
I have an interest in reading more of Dylan Thomas work and thought this short guide, of which I have no idea how I came to possess, might provide a basis in which to further understand the renowned but troubled writer and poet, but my expectations at what it would deliver were relatively low. To my surprise, I found this, however sparse on details, to be a wonderful introduction!
I was initially troubled by the narrative voice. This begun in the 3rd person perspective and provided the reader with an almost bird's eye view of Dylan Thomas, as he lays prostrate in a hospital bed towards the end of his life. Only a few paragraphs later a flashback interrupts this scene and is relayed in the 1st person with almost no pause for the reader to understand the switch. This continually occurs throughout the novel and, whilst initially jarring, proved ultimately powerful.
By seeing a distant view of the figure in a hospital bed, and a closer insight into the lively life of the said individual, the reader's emotions are consistently switching. This made the details feel fresh and real and could, I would imagine, make this of interest to those with already an understanding of the details of his life. The author cleverly inserted quotes to the portion's from Thomas' own fictional perspective, which gave the feel of authenticity and believability, even though the reader knows this information is coming to them third-hand.
For such a short read with only the basest of details provided, this provided much to take away with. I now have basic knowledge of the man, but, more importantly, I have a feel for who he was - where his passions lay, what provoked his flaming, poetic spirit, and what led to his untimely demise - and that is far more than most non-fiction biographies manage to provide!
I have an interest in reading more of Dylan Thomas work and thought this short guide, of which I have no idea how I came to possess, might provide a basis in which to further understand the renowned but troubled writer and poet, but my expectations at what it would deliver were relatively low. To my surprise, I found this, however sparse on details, to be a wonderful introduction!
I was initially troubled by the narrative voice. This begun in the 3rd person perspective and provided the reader with an almost bird's eye view of Dylan Thomas, as he lays prostrate in a hospital bed towards the end of his life. Only a few paragraphs later a flashback interrupts this scene and is relayed in the 1st person with almost no pause for the reader to understand the switch. This continually occurs throughout the novel and, whilst initially jarring, proved ultimately powerful.
By seeing a distant view of the figure in a hospital bed, and a closer insight into the lively life of the said individual, the reader's emotions are consistently switching. This made the details feel fresh and real and could, I would imagine, make this of interest to those with already an understanding of the details of his life. The author cleverly inserted quotes to the portion's from Thomas' own fictional perspective, which gave the feel of authenticity and believability, even though the reader knows this information is coming to them third-hand.
For such a short read with only the basest of details provided, this provided much to take away with. I now have basic knowledge of the man, but, more importantly, I have a feel for who he was - where his passions lay, what provoked his flaming, poetic spirit, and what led to his untimely demise - and that is far more than most non-fiction biographies manage to provide!
November 30, 2024
Interesting and original little novella with Dylan Thomas lying on his deathbed in New York reflecting on his short yet full life. Naturally and in keeping, Dylan paints a rather glowing account of himself with just a few scraps of remorse along the way to the 18 straight whiskies that finally did for him. Genius rarely comes well mannered and polite and Dylan was no exception to that rule yet here I actually feel just a little sorry for him as he embarks on his road to destruction.
An excellent biographical introduction to one of the previous century's greatest poets.
An excellent biographical introduction to one of the previous century's greatest poets.
November 4, 2016
I enjoyed this short and moving interpretation of Dylan Thomas's life and the way it was written was easy to read and engaging. I love Dylan Thomas's poetry and studied it at school, it has always stayed with me, and this was a nice reintroduction to the poet. It is necessarily brief as it is part of the Quick Reads series, but it made me go and read more about Thomas's life and also think about the poetry again.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews