Dylan: The Nine Lives of Dylan Thomas

Dylan Thomas's indulgent friends would describe him as an eccentric whose defiance of social convention was a natural extension of his over-fertile imagination. Others were more blunt, calling him a liar, a scrounger, a coward and a thief. Highlighting some of the complexities and paradoxes in the poet's character, this biography discusses how, for instance, this apparent drop-out from society nonetheless appreciated the Establishment's lifestyle enough to join the National Liberal Club, send his eldest child to a public school and enjoy afternoons watching cricket at Lord's. Jonathan Fryer, who has also written a biography of Christopher Isherwood, has drawn on interviews with Thomas's close friends and relatives and on much new material, such as letters and memoirs, which has come to light in recent years.