Promotional Information

Following 50th anniversary of Thomas's death, the paperback coincides with 90th anniversary of his birth Film of Thomas's life, Map of Love, being made by Mick Jagger's production company 'Lycett's biography is, frankly, stunning. He has not only chronicled Thomas's life intricately but also interpreted his relationships with others, putting Thomas's work into context' Martin Booth, Literary Review 'A model of scholarly objectivity...Lycett's definitive, revealing and painful biography reminds us of the human cost of such art' John Carey, Sunday Times 'A disturbing and impressive book about a sad man, a tragic man, a drunkard, a lovable cad, a Welshman and a poetic genius' Jan Morris, New Statesman 'This is the best biography of the poet I have ever read...a book that no one interested in Dylan Thomas can afford to be without' Robert Nye, Scotsman

About the Author

Andrew Lycett read history at Oxford University, before becoming a journalist on the Sunday Times where he served as a foreign correspondent. He has been a full-time biographer since 1992, writing of Ian Fleming, Rudyard Kipling and now, Dylan Thomas.

Reviews

'Andrew Lycett [brings] lots of fresh, carefully researched detail to the boozy and sex-obsessed private life.' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH (4.7.04) 'Untapped archives and tireless research have shed a fresh light on the short life of literary sensation Dylan Thomas...This biography...is a tragic yet compelling read.' DAILY EXPRESS (.9.7.04) '[an] enjoyable biography...often very funny.' SUNDAY TIMES (11.7.04) '[Lycett] succeeds in painting a surprisingly sympathetic picture of the man.' -- Simon Shaw MAIL ON SUNDAY (22.8.04)

Dylan Thomas wrote his first book of poetry by the time he was 20, and within a few years he was renowned in the U.K. not only as a well-paid and celebrated writer but also as a drunkard and a scrounger. After gaining fame for his BBC radio play, Under Milk Wood, Thomas was invited on a tour of the United States, where he died of alcohol poisoning at the age of 39. Lycett, biographer of Rudyard Kipling and Ian Fleming, has written a life study of Thomas that incorporates previously unavailable material released after the deaths of the poet's wife and son. Other biographies, such as Constant Fitzgibbons's lasting Life of Dylan Thomas or Paul Ferris's Dylan Thomas: The Biography, have ably recounted the essential details of Thomas's life, but Lycett here provides a wealth of useful detail, bringing the Welsh poet's life story up to date, just in time for and in honor of the 50th anniversary of his death. For all libraries.-Denise Johnson, Bradley Univ. Lib., Peoria, IL Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.