The Three Lives of Dylan Thomas - Hardcover

Janes, Hilly

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1849546886 ISBN 13: 9781849546881

Publisher: Robson Press, 2014

Synopsis

Dylan Thomas was one of the most extraordinary poetic talents of the twentieth century. Poems such as 'Do not go gentle into that good night' regularly come top of polls of the nation's favourites. His play Under Milk Wood is studied in schools all over the world and has never been out of print. Thomas lived a life that was rarely without incident and died a death that has gone down in legend as the epitome of Bohemian dissoluteness.

In The Three Lives of Dylan Thomas, journalist Hilly Janes explores that life and its extraordinary legacy through the eyes of her father, the artist Alfred Janes, who was Thomas's great friend and painted the poet at three key moments, in 1934, 1953 and, posthumously, 1965. Using the portraits as focal points, The Three Lives of Dylan Thomas plots the poet's journey from his birthplace in Swansea to his untimely death in a New York hospital in 1953.

Drawing on a personal archive that includes drawings, diaries, letters and new interviews with Thomas's friends and descendants, as well as with biographers, critics and art historians, Hilly Janes manages to bring to life the poet and his times in this highly original and powerful narrative. This portrait goes beneath the reputation of the feckless, disloyal, boozy Welsh bard to reveal a very complex character. Feckless and disloyal, yes, but also lovable, charming, scholarly, dedicated and vulnerable

About this title

About the Author

Hilly Janes is an award-winning feature writer and editor with twenty years' experience on national quality newspapers and magazines including The Independent, The Times, Prospect, The Guardian, the Daily Telegraph, The Observer and the Financial Times. Daughter of the artist Alfred Janes, Hilly was born on the Gower Peninsula; the landscape of rural south-west Wales and Swansea evoked so beautifully in Thomas's work were those of her own childhood. Today, Hilly lives with her husband and two teenage children in north London, where she works as a freelance journalist, author, media consultant and events organiser.

Review

"Hilly Janes writes on Dylan as if he was a great family friend - which indeed he was. This is no fusty academic study written at a remove, but a thoroughly readable, wise and funny insight into one of Britain's most celebrated twentieth-century writers." ROSIE MILLARD "4/5 [I]t reveals tiny human details that bring him to life in a way more academic biographers would give their eye teeth for... through this highly personal and affectionate book you will come to see this troubled beguiling man as his friends did." Daily Express " "[An] engaging, accessible biography...The book is at its best when grounding and humanising the man, stripping away some of the layers of myth, and placing him among friends, allowing us to see him as Janes's father saw him." Natasha Tripney, The Observer "[I]t is a reminder that the point about Thomas was not his chaotic life but his luminous talent." Daisy Goodwin, Sunday Times "Hilly Janes has written the best of the many books about Dylan Thomas which I have read." Allan Massie, The Scotsman "What makes this book so readable is the fact that it offers rather more than Dylan Thomas and his insalubrious escapades... Her analysis of his literary legacy is deft, but almost the most delightful thing about this book is its tribute to her talented father, who died in 1999 and was clearly a man of integrity." Bel Mooney, Daily Mail "Brisk and sympathetic, its greatest interest is its account of Thomas' posthumous legend." The Tablet "5/5 Drawing on a vast personal archive and interviews with friends and relatives, this portrayal goes beyond the stereotype of the boisterous Swansea swaggerer." The Lady "He was half stifled by his own mythography - This is why it is helpful to have a memoir like Hilly Janes: Thomas becomes human again, not a doomed Dionysus." New Statesman "The Three Lives of Dylan Thomas is a great read. It doesn't pull any punches when it comes to his complex life with his wife - Loved it." Britmums "No-one is likely to publish a biography of Thomas demonstrating that he was a monogamous and placid soul who could hold his drink and manage his money. But Janes simply sets him in the context of a group of variously gifted Welsh friends - and gives some sense of how and why - exasperating as he undoubtedly was - he retained their love and (intermittently) tolerance." Dr Rowan Williams, Wales Online "[An] attractive and level-headed book." Round House Poetry Circle "Although uncritical, Hilly's honest account of Dylan's life gives us a captivating picture of a flawed genius. She captures the thoughtfulness below the flamboyance." Absolutely Chelsea "A marvellous, intimate portrait of Dylan - Hilly's generous personality infuses the pages and makes them come alive like a latterday Milk Wood. Hilly has produced a book of warmth and great integrity, bringing new light to a subject that has almost been over exposed. A huge bonus is the introduction to a whole a new audience, of the wonderful work of her father, Alfred Janes." Camden Review "Janes's daughter, Hilly, delves beneath the conventional image of Thomas as the irresponsible and inebriated Welshman, to reveal a more complicated individual, and is the first to examine in full the effect his death, aged just 39 had on his family." Good Book Guide

Edition details

• Publisher: Robson Press
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1849546886
• ISBN 13: 9781849546881
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 299