Dylan Marlais Thomas (1914–1953) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

poet and writer who — along with his work — has been remembered and referred to by a number of artists in various media.

In art

Alfred Janes Alfred George Janes (30 June 1911 – 3 February 1999) was a Welsh artist, who worked in Swansea and Croydon. He experimented with many forms, but is best known for his meticulous still lifes and Portrait painting, portraits. He is also remembe ...

' 1934 portrait of Thomas is held by the

National Museum of Wales National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

. Janes, like Thomas was a member of The Kardomah Gang or The Kardomah Boys, a group of bohemian Swansea friends who met at the Kardomah Café, in Castle Street,

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

. Janes created three portraits of Thomas, the first of which, painted in Coleherne Road in 1934, is oil on canvas and displays Janes's technique at this period of cutting lines into the paint with his pen-knife, to provide relief and focus. *Between 1937 and 1938,

Augustus John Augustus Edwin John (4 January 1878 – 31 October 1961) was a Welsh painter, draughtsman, and etcher. For a time he was considered the most important artist at work in Britain: Virginia Woolf remarked that by 1908 the era of John Singer Sarg ...

produced two portraits of Thomas. One of these is held by the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff, acquired in 1942. *Two portraits of Thomas by the artist

Rupert Shephard Rupert Norman Shephard (12 February 1909 – 16 March 1992) was an English painter, illustrator and art teacher. Early life Shephard was born in Islington, the son of an engineer and a charity worker, who were both Quakers and keen amateu ...

, who would in later life marry Nicolette Macnamara, an elder sister of

Caitlin Thomas Caitlin Thomas (née Macnamara; 8 December 1913 – 31 July 1994) was an author and the wife of the poet and writer Dylan Thomas. Their marriage was a stormy affair, fueled by alcohol and infidelity, though the couple remained together until Dyl ...

, are in the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

collection.

Art inspired by Thomas

* In the 1940s the Welsh artist and contemporary of Thomas,

Ceri Richards Ceri Giraldus Richards (6 June 1903 – 9 November 1971) was a Welsh painter, print-maker and maker of reliefs. Biography Richards was born in 1903 in the village of Dunvant, near Swansea, the son of Thomas Coslett Richards and Sarah Ri ...

, created several works directly inspired by him, notably three paintings collectively entitled, from the poem of the same name, ‘The force that through the green fuse,’ which he later reworked into lithographs. After Thomas’s death in 1953, Richards produced a series of works under the rubric ''Homage to Dylan Thomas''. He continued to work on Thomas inspired art work and in 1965 created ''Twelve Lithographs for Dylan Thomas''.

In literature

*The poem "Thou Shalt Not Kill" by American poet

Kenneth Rexroth Kenneth Charles Marion Rexroth (December 22, 1905 – June 6, 1982) was an American poet, translator, and critical essayist. He is regarded as a central figure in the San Francisco Renaissance, and paved the groundwork for the movement. Althoug ...

bears the subtitle "A Memorial for Dylan Thomas". *In issue #26 of the

Vertigo Comics DC Vertigo, also known as Vertigo Comics or simply Vertigo, is an Imprint (trade name), imprint of the American comic book publisher DC Comics. Vertigo publishes comics with adult comics, adult content, such as nudity, drug use, profanity, and ...

series ''

Preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who Open-air preaching, preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach com ...

'', Thomas is depicted as a previous acquaintance of the character Cassidy. Cassidy is with Thomas when he collapses outside the White Horse Tavern, Thomas's last words being "The trouble with you fuckin' Irish is, you don't know how to drink..." *In his 1963 book ''

Hopscotch Hopscotch is a playground game in which players toss a small object, called a lagger, into numbered triangles or a pattern of rectangles outlined on the ground and then hop or jump through the spaces and retrieve the object. It is a children's ...

'',

Julio Cortázar Julio Florencio Cortázar (26 August 1914 – 12 February 1984; ) was an Argentine and naturalised French novelist, short story writer, poet, essayist, and translator. Known as one of the founders of the Latin American Boom, Cortázar influenc ...

makes several references to Thomas. *In Charles Bukowski's short story

This is what killed Dylan Thomas This may refer to: * ''This'', the singular proximal demonstrative pronoun Places * This (Egypt), or ''Thinis'', an ancient city in Upper Egypt * This, Ardennes, a commune in France * This, a country mentioned in the ''Periplus of the Erythraea ...

from 1973 book ''South'' ''of no North','' the protagonist makes several references to Dylan Thomas. *The 1986

Kingsley Amis Sir Kingsley William Amis (16 April 1922 – 22 October 1995) was an English novelist, poet, critic and teacher. He wrote more than 20 novels, six volumes of poetry, a memoir, short stories, radio and television scripts, and works of social crit ...

novel The Old Devils features frequent references to "Brydan", a thinly disguised characterization of Thomas. *In her 2010 book '' Matched'',

Ally Condie Allyson Braithwaite Condie (born November 2, 1978) is an author of young adult and middle grade fiction.

references Thomas' poem " Do not go gentle into that good night". * In Chapter 13 of his 2012 novel ''All I Did Was Shoot My Man (A Leonid McGill mystery)'' crime novelist

Walter Mosley Walter Ellis Mosley (born January 12, 1952) is an American novelist, most widely recognized for his crime fiction. He has written a series of best-selling historical mysteries featuring the hard-boiled detective Easy Rawlins, a black private in ...

recounts a street poet's talk in a New York bar: ::"....among many of the recognised and lauded lights of the New York poetry scene the allure of Dylan Thomas has faded... They criticise everything from his depth of linguistic complexity to the obvious melodrama of his most well-known works. But what these poetry pontiffs fail to understand was that Thomas was a people's poet, a man that connected song and metre and the concerns of every human being living their lives and suffering the consequences. His work, in its every repetition, fights for the survival and lifeblood or a form that most so-called great poets have moved beyond the reach of the common man ..."

In music

Settings of Thomas's work

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...

wrote "In memoriam Dylan Thomas: Dirge canons and song" (1954) for tenor voice, string quartet, and four trombones, based on " Do not go gentle into that good night." (Stravinsky and Thomas were considering a joint new opera). * Paul Dirmeikis set to music the poems "Song" and "Your Pain Shall Be A Music". *American composer

Robert Manno Robert Manno (born 1944, Bryn Mawr, Pa) is the composer of numerous chamber and orchestral works, song cycles and solo piano and choral works. The Atlanta Audio Society has called him "a composer of serious music of considerable depth and spiritual ...

set the following poems to music: **"Fern Hill" (1973) for baritone and chamber ensemble, premiered in New York City 1974; **"And Death Shall Have No Dominion" for chorus and harp (2001), premiered at St. Martin's Church in

Laugharne Laugharne () is a town on the south coast of Carmarthenshire, Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Tâf. The Ancient borough#Charters, ancient borough of Laugharne Township () with its #Laugharne Corporation, Corporation and Charter is a ...

, commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Thomas' death in 2003; **"In my craft or sullen art" for baritone and orchestra (2007), serving as 'Dylan's Aria' in a recently completed (2013) full-length opera on Thomas' last days: ''Dylan & Caitlin'' (libretto by Welsh playwright Gwynne Edwards). *Composer David Diamond set ''I Have Longed to Move Away'' for voice and piano in 1968. *In 1981, American composer William Mayer, set the poem "Fern Hill" to music for a trio of soprano, flute and harp. *

John Cale John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various styles across rock, dr ...

set a number of Thomas's poems to music: ''There was a saviour'', ''Do not go gentle into that good night'', ''On a Wedding Anniversary'' and ''Lie still, sleep becalmed'', recording them in his 1989 album '' Words for the Dying'' and (except for the first one) in his 1992 solo live album '' Fragments of a Rainy Season''. Notable among these is "Do not go gentle into that good night", which he performed on stage in the concert held in Cardiff in 1999 to celebrate the opening of the

Welsh Assembly The Senedd ( ; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, Its role is to scrutinise the Welsh Government and legislate on devolve ...

. He also has a song titled "A Child's Christmas in Wales," the title being an homage to Dylan Thomas's work but with different lyrics and subject. *In 1996, Belgian composer

Henri Lazarof Henri Lazarof (Bulgarian language, Bulgarian: Хенри Лазаров) (April 12, 1932 – December 29, 2013) was a Bulgarian-American composer. Born in Sofia, Bulgaria, his formal musical training began in Israel under Paul Ben-Haim. After a sh ...

, released ''Encounters with Dylan Thomas, for soprano & chamber ensemble'', comprising ten compositions based on the poet's work; including "Your Pain Shall be a Music", "In My Craft or Sullen Art" and "Shall gods be said to thump the clouds". *American vocal group

Cantus A cantus (Latin for "singing", derived from ''cantare'') is an activity organised by Belgian, Dutch, German, French, and Baltic fraternities. A cantus mainly involves singing traditional songs and drinking beer. It is governed by strict trad ...

, performed two poems set to choral works, with music by Kenneth Jennings, on their 2001 album ''...Against the Dying of the Light''. The two poems are combined under the title "Two Laments on Dylan Thomas". *2002: ''A Child's Christmas in Wales'' for SATB choir and orchestra, written by Matthew Harris. *2003: ''The Dylan Thomas Jazz Suite 'Twelve Poems' set for Quintet and Voice'', by Jen Wilson, commissioned by the Dylan Thomas Centre. Issued on CD in 2010. *

Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter and record producer. He emerged from the British folk scene in early 1965 and subsequently scored multiple international hit singles ...

, in his 2004 album ''

Beat Cafe ''Beat Cafe'' is the 23rd studio album, and 28th album overall, from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It is his first collection containing newly written songs since his 1996 album ''Sutras''. ''Beat Cafe'' was released worldwide (Appleseed R ...

'', set to music the poem "Do not go gentle into that good night". *Singer-songwriter Keith James has set a number of Thomas' works to music. *2014: Composer Andrew Lewis set ''Fern Hill'' to music for Orchestra and Electronics. This used an actual recording of Thomas' speech, in which Thomas takes the melodic line. The work was premiered at

Bangor University Bangor University () is a Public university, public Research university, research university in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales. It was established by Royal charter, Royal Charter in 1885 as the University College of North Wales (UCNW; ), and in 1893 ...

on 3 October and was performed by the

BBC National Orchestra of Wales The BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBC NOW) () is a Welsh symphony orchestra and one of the BBC's five professional radio orchestras. The BBC NOW is the only professional symphony orchestra organisation in Wales, occupying a dual role as both ...

, as part of the "My Friend Dylan Thomas" event. * Rogers and Clarke set "The Hand that Signed the Paper" to music.

Musical compositions inspired by Thomas works

*The ''

Jazz Suite Inspired by Dylan Thomas's "Under Milk Wood" ''Jazz Suite Inspired by Dylan Thomas's "Under Milk Wood"'' is an album by the English pianist Stan Tracey and his quartet, that was released by the Columbia subsidiary of EMI in 1965. The music was written in response to the 1953 BBC radio pla ...

'', a 1965 album by British pianist

Stan Tracey Stanley William Tracey (30 December 1926 – 6 December 2013) was a British jazz pianist and composer, whose most important influences were Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. Tracey's best known recording is the 1965 album '' Jazz Suite Insp ...

, was inspired by Thomas's play. *In December 2011 Stan Tracey, with his son drummer

Clark Tracey Clark Tracey (born 5 February 1961) is a British jazz drummer, band leader, and composer. Early life Tracey was born in London, England. He first played piano and vibraphone before switching to drums at age 13, studying under Bryan Spring. C ...

and saxophonist Simon Allen, premiered his interpretation of "

A Child's Christmas in Wales ''A Child's Christmas in Wales'' is a piece of prose by the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas recorded by Thomas in 1952. Emerging from an earlier piece he wrote for BBC Radio, the work is an anecdotal reminiscence of a Christmas from the viewpoint of a ...

" at the King's Place arts venue in Camden. *The indie-rock band

Evans The Death Evans the Death were an English indie rock band formed in London in 2011. The band consisted of brothers Dan and Olly Moss (guitars), Katherine Whitaker (vocals), Daniel Raphael (bass) and James Burkitt (drums). They released three albums. Care ...

, formed in London in 2011, take their name from the undertaker in ''Under Milk Wood''. *

Robin Williamson Robin Duncan Harry Williamson (born 24 November 1943) is a Scottish multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and storyteller who was a founding member of the Incredible String Band. Career Williamson lived in the Fairmilehead area of Edinbu ...

wrote a tribute to Thomas called "For Mr. Thomas" on his album '' Songs of Love and Parting''. *''Do Not Go Gentle'', a full-length opera on the last days of Dylan Thomas with music by

and libretto by Gwynne Edwards. It was premiered on 1 August 2015.

In film and television

Depictions of Thomas

*1962: ''

Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer, whose works include the poems " Do not go gentle into that good night" and " And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Un ...

'', a short,

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

-winning, documentary film with

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his mellifluous baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s and gave a memor ...

as narrator, directed by

Jack Howells Thomas John Howells (July 1913 – 6 September 1990) was a Welsh film-maker, who is best remembered for his 1962 documentary ''Dylan Thomas '' (also known as ''A Tribute to Dylan Thomas''), the only Welsh film to have won an Academy Award, for ...

. *1964: '' Dylan'', a Broadway play by

Sidney Michaels Sidney Michaels (August 17, 1927 – April 22, 2011, aged 83) was an American playwright best known for the early and mid 1960s works '' Tchin-Tchin'', '' Dylan'', and '' Ben Franklin in Paris''. References External links * * 1927 births ...

, starring

Alec Guinness Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. In the BFI, British Film Institute listing of 1999 of BFI Top 100 British films, the 100 most important British films of the 20th century ...

as Dylan Thomas and

Kate Reid Daphne Katherine Reid (4 November 1930 – 27 March 1993) was a Canadian actress, whose career spanned over fifty years and hundreds of roles across both stage and screen. She was described by the book ''Inspiring Women: A Celebration of Herst ...

as Caitlin. *1978: ''Dylan: Life and Death of a Poet'', a

BBC Wales BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcasting, public broadcaster in Wales. It is one of the four BBC national regions, alongside the BBC English Regions, BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Scotland. Established in 1964, ...

film of Thomas' final two visits to America; starring

Ronald Lacey Ronald William Lacey (28 September 1935 – 15 May 1991) was an English actor. He made numerous television and film appearances over a 30-year period. His roles included Harris in ''Porridge'' (1977), Frankie in the Bud Spencer comedy '' ...

and produced by Richard Lewis. *1990–91: ''Dylan Thomas: Return Journey'', a one-man stage show that toured internationally, featuring Bob Kingdom as Thomas and directed by

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor. Considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for List of Anthony Hopkins performances, his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins ha ...

. Hopkins later directed a film version of the stage play, to which he also wrote the musical score. *2008: ''

The Edge of Love ''The Edge of Love'' is a 2008 British biographical romantic drama film directed by John Maybury and starring Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller, Cillian Murphy, and Matthew Rhys. The script was written by Knightley's mother, Sharman Macdonald. ...

'' starring

Matthew Rhys Matthew Rhys Evans ( ; born 8 November 1974) is a Welsh actor. He gained recognition for playing Kevin Walker in the family drama series '' Brothers & Sisters'' (2006–2011) and Philip Jennings in the spy drama series ''The Americans'' (2013 ...

as the poet, directed by

John Maybury John Maybury (born 25 March 1958) is an English filmmaker and artist. He first came to prominence as the director of the music video for the Pet Shop Boys 1984 single "West End Girls". In 2005 he was named as one of the 100 most influential gay ...

, written by

Sharman Macdonald Sharman S. Macdonald (born 8 February 1951) is a Scottish playwright, screenwriter, and actress. Early life & education Macdonald was born in Glasgow, the daughter of Janet Rewat (née Williams) and Joseph Henry Hosgood MacDonald. She has Scott ...

, and drawing on David N. Thomas' book ''Dylan Thomas: A Farm, Two Mansions and a Bungalow''. *2014: The TV drama ''

A Poet in New York ''A Poet in New York'' is a British drama television film that was first broadcast, in a 60-minute version, by BBC One Wales on 30 April 2014. A longer 75-minute version was later broadcast by BBC Two on 18 May 2014. The film, written by Andrew Da ...

'' was created to mark the centenary of his birth, and starred

Tom Hollander Thomas Anthony Hollander (; born 25 August 1967) is a British actor. He trained with National Youth Theatre and won the Ian Charleson Award in 1992 for his performance as Witwoud in ''The Way of the World''. He made his Broadway debut in the ...

as Thomas. *2014: In the semi-autobiographical film ''

Set Fire to the Stars ''Set Fire to the Stars'' is a 2014 Welsh semi-Biographical film, biographical drama film directed by Andy Goddard in his List of directorial debuts, directorial debut. Co-written by Goddard and Celyn Jones, the film stars Elijah Wood as poet Joh ...

'' Thomas is portrayed by Celyn Jones and John Brinnin by

Elijah Wood Elijah Jordan Wood (born January 28, 1981) is an American actor and producer. Wood made his film debut with a minor part in ''Back to the Future Part II'' (1989) at the age of eight and achieved recognition in the early 1990s as a child acto ...

. *2016: ''

Dominion A dominion was any of several largely self-governance, self-governing countries of the British Empire, once known collectively as the ''British Commonwealth of Nations''. Progressing from colonies, their degrees of self-governing colony, colon ...

'', a film written and directed by Steven Bernstein, examines Thomas' final hours. Thomas is portrayed by

Rhys Ifans Rhys Owain Evans (; born 22 July 1967), known as Rhys Ifans, is a Welsh actor. He has portrayed roles in ''Notting Hill'' (1999), '' Kevin & Perry Go Large'' (2000), and '' Enduring Love'' (2004), in addition to Xenophilius Lovegood in ''Harry ...

Other

* ''Under Milk Wood'' is a 1972 British drama film directed by

Andrew Sinclair Andrew Annandale Sinclair FRSL FRSA (21 January 1935 – 30 May 2019) was a British novelist, historian, biographer, critic, filmmaker, and a publisher of classic and modern film scripts. He has been described as a "writer of extraordinary flu ...

and based on the play for voices ''

Under Milk Wood ''Under Milk Wood'' is a 1954 radio drama by Welsh people, Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. The BBC commissioned the play, which was later adapted for the stage. The first public reading was in New York City in 1953. A Under Milk Wood (1972 film), f ...

''. It starred

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an English and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 19 ...

and

Peter O'Toole Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was an English actor known for his leading roles on stage and screen. His numerous accolades include the Academy Honorary Award, a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and four Golde ...

. Like the book it portrays the inhabitants of the fictional small Welsh village Llareggub. * In the

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

show ''

Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a " castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight audio recordin ...

'', 45 participants have selected a Dylan Thomas recording. * ''Dylan Thomas: From Grave to Cradle'', a 2021 BBC ''

Arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

'' documentary, by author and broadcaster Nigel Williams, with archive footage and the voices of those who knew him.

Passing references in TV, film and popular music

* In the second season of '' The Librarians'', in 2015, Jacob Stone mentions Thomas by name in the episode "And the Image of Image", and then in the third-season episode "And the Reunion of Evil" he quotes Thomas's poem "Do not go gentle into that good night". * In the episode " Fore Father" of the cartoon ''

Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. Th ...

'', an ill

Stewie Griffin Stewart Gilligan "Stewie" Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series ''Family Guy''. He is voiced by series creator Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the Griffin family, in the ...

tells himself: "Fight it Stewie, fight it. 'Do not go gentle into that good night,' to quote

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

. Wait, no, wait,

." *In the 1980s comedy film ''

Back to School ''Back to School'' is a 1986 American comedy film starring Rodney Dangerfield, Keith Gordon, Sally Kellerman, Burt Young, Terry Farrell, William Zabka, Ned Beatty, Sam Kinison, Paxton Whitehead, Robert Downey Jr., M. Emmet Walsh, and Adrienn ...

'',

Rodney Dangerfield Jack Roy (born Jacob Cohen; November 22, 1921 – October 5, 2004), better known by the stage name Rodney Dangerfield, was an American stand-up comedian, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He was known for his self-deprecating one-liner humor, ...

performs a silly, melodramatic reading of the poem " Do not go gentle into that good night." *In the 2002 film ''

Solaris Solaris is the Latin word for sun. It may refer to: Arts and entertainment Literature, television and film * ''Solaris'' (novel), a 1961 science fiction novel by Stanisław Lem ** ''Solaris'' (1968 film), directed by Boris Nirenburg ** ''Sol ...

'', Chris Kelvin (

George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor, filmmaker, and philanthropist. Known for his leading man roles on screen in both blockbuster and independent films, Clooney has received numerous accolades, including two Ac ...

) reads the first stanza of " And death shall have no dominion". *In the 1994 film ''

Before Sunrise ''Before Sunrise'' is a 1995 Romance film, romantic drama film directed by Richard Linklater and co-written by Linklater and Kim Krizan, and is the first installment in the Before trilogy, ''Before'' trilogy. In the film, Jesse (Ethan Hawke) an ...

'',

Ethan Hawke Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor, author, and film director. He made his film debut in ''Explorers (film), Explorers'' (1985), before making a breakthrough performance in ''Dead Poets Society'' (1989). Hawke starr ...

's character mimics Dylan Thomas's voice, reading a fragment from the well-known poem "As I Walked Out One Evening" written by

W. H. Auden Wystan Hugh Auden (; 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry is noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in tone, ...

. *In the film ''

Dangerous Minds ''Dangerous Minds'' is a 1995 American drama film directed by John N. Smith, written by Ronald Bass, and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. It is based on the 1992 autobiography ''My Posse Don't Do Homework'' by retired U.S. Mar ...

'', the teacher (

Michelle Pfeiffer Michelle Marie Pfeiffer ( ; born April 29, 1958) is an American actress. She was one of the most bankable stars in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood during the 1980s and 1990s, and her List of Michelle Pfeiffer performances, performances ...

) asks her students to compare

with Dylan Thomas, and one quotes from the poem.Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
* The 2001

-directed film ''

Chelsea Walls ''Chelsea Walls'' is a 2001 American drama film directed by Ethan Hawke in his directorial debut and written by Nicole Burdette, based on her 1990 play of the same name. It stars Kris Kristofferson, Uma Thurman, Robert Sean Leonard, Tuesday Wel ...

'' has a Dylan Thomas poem written on a hotel room wall. *

's 1963 song " When the Ship Comes In" contains the phrase, "the chains of the sea", which matches the last line of Thomas's ''

Fern Hill "Fern Hill" (1945) is a poem by the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, first published in ''Horizon'' magazine in October 1945, with its first book publication in 1946 as the last poem in '' Deaths and Entrances''. Creation Thomas had started writing ''F ...

'': "I sang in my chains like the sea". Dylan, born as Robert Zimmermann, is believed to have taken his last name from Thomas. *

Simon & Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo comprising the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music acts of the 1960s. Their most famous recordings include three US number-one sing ...

's 1966 song, "

A Simple Desultory Philippic (or How I Was Robert McNamara'd into Submission) #REDIRECT A Simple Desultory Philippic (or How I Was Robert McNamara'd into Submission) {{R from other capitalisation ...

", includes the lines, "He's so unhip, that when you say Dylan, he thinks you're talking about Dylan Thomas, Whoever he was." *The song "Dog's Eyes, Owl Meat & Man Chop" from the album ''Domino Club'' (1990) by

The Men They Couldn't Hang The Men They Couldn't Hang (TMTCH) are a British folk punk group. The original group consisted of Stefan Cush (vocals, guitar), Paul Simmonds (guitar, bouzouki, mandolin, keyboards), Philip "Swill" Odgers (vocals, guitar, tin whistle, melodic ...

refers to Dylan Thomas and the area of Wales where he lived. *Pittsburgh area band

The Gathering Field The Gathering Field is an American rock quartet from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who recorded five albums from 1994 until 2001. They went on hiatus in 2002 and reunited in 2013. History Formation The Gathering Field legacy began in a burned-out th ...

referred to him in a song called "Dylan Thomas Days" on their 1994 self-titled album. *The cover of

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

album ''

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' (often referred to simply as ''Sgt. Pepper'') is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released on 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept ...

'' (1967), designed by English pop artist Peter Blake, includes a photograph of Thomas. *In

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are a Rock music, rock band formed in Melbourne in 1983 by lead vocalist Nick Cave, multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey and German guitarist-vocalist Blixa Bargeld. The band has featured international personnel throug ...

' 2002 song "There She Goes, My Beautiful World", Cave sings "Dylan Thomas/he died drunk/in St. Vincent's Hospital". *In the children's animated television series ''

Ivor the Engine ''Ivor the Engine'' is a British cutout animation television series created by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin's Smallfilms company. It follows the adventures of a small green steam locomotive who lives in the "top left-hand corner of Wales ...

'' the story lines drew heavily on, and were influenced by, the works of Thomas. *The 2018 album by

Manic Street Preachers Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Wales, Welsh Rock music, rock band formed in Blackwood, Caerphilly, in 1986. The band consists of Nicky Wire (bass guitar, lyrics) and cousins James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, le ...

titled Resistance is Futile features a track about the marriage of Dylan & Caitlin Thomas, written from a first person perspective, titled "Dylan & Caitlin". *The 2019 eponymous album by

Better Oblivion Community Center Better Oblivion Community Center was an American indie rock superduo consisting of musicians Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers. They released their self-titled debut album on January 24, 2019, through Dead Oceans. Background Oberst and Bridge ...

features a song named "Dylan Thomas" and incorrectly references his death as from a "seizure on a barroom floor." *The

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-t ...

of Taylor Swift's 2024 album "

The Tortured Poets Department ''The Tortured Poets Department'' is the eleventh studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on April 19, 2024, by Republic Records. Swift developed the album amidst the Eras Tour in 2023, with the resultant, ...

" references him: “I laughed in your face and said, ‘You’re not Dylan Thomas. I’m not Patti Smith. This ain’t the Chelsea Hotel. We’re modern idiots.”

References

{{Dylan Thomas Dylan Thomas