Synopses & Reviews
On February 22, 1952, Dylan Thomas made his first recording for Caedmon Records,
A Child's Christmas in Wales and Five Poems. It was the first of many albums Thomas was to record for Caedmon. This recording launched not only Caedmon, but the spoken-word industry as well.
Here, at long last, in celebration of over 50 years of spoken-word publishing, Caedmon presents Dylan Thomas: The Caedmon Collection. This unique collection includes not only Dylan Thomas reading his finest works, but also rare recordings of Thomas reading his favorite writers including W.H. Auden and William Shakespeare.
Some of the many selections in this set include Thomas's poetry: "Fern Hill" and "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night"; his prose: Adventures in the Skin Trade and Quite Early One Morning; and his final work Under Milk Wood, a play. The recording of Under Milk Wood included here is the only one in existence with Dylan Thomas in the cast. It owes its remarkable existence to the serendipitous placement of a microphone at center stage minutes before the curtain was raised.
Synopsis
Praised for his verbal inventiveness, image-making power and almost pagan metaphysics, Dylan Thomas's poems are visions of creation and mortality. This is a collection of his work, performed by the author.
Synopsis
Beginning in February 1952, Dylan Thomas made a series of memorable and historic recordings for a new record label called Caedmon. In fact, Dylan Thomas was the first to record for this new label, started by two 22–year–old women, Marianne Roney and Barbara Cohen. Little did they know that in addition to capturing a part of history they also launched an industry of spoken–word recording.
This collection not only contains the incredible Caedmon recording sessions, but also recordings from the BBC, CBC, and other archival material Caedmon originally published in the 1950s and 1960s.
Highlights include: "A Child's Christmas in Wales" and "Five Poems"; "Do Not Go Gentle Into that Good Night", his prose: Adventures in the Skin Trade and Quite Early One Morning, and his final work – Under Milk Wood, a play.
With stunning original album cover art, and an introduction read by former poet laureate Billy Collins, this unique collection includes not only Dylan Thomas reading his finest works, but also rare recordings of Thomas reading his favorite writers, including W.H. Auden and William Shakespeare.
About the Author
Dylan Thomas was born in Swansea, Wales, on 27 October 1914. In 1934 his first book of poetry,
Eighteen Poems, appeared, followed by
Twenty-five Poems in 1936,
Deaths and Entrances in 1946, and in 1952 his final volume,
Collected Poems. He also published many short stories, wrote film scripts, broadcast stories and talks, did a series of lecture tours in the United States, and wrote
Under Milk Wood, the radio play.
During his fourth lecture tour of the United States in 1953, a few days after his 39th birthday, he collapsed in his New York hotel and died on November 9th at St. Vincent's Hospital. His body was sent back to Laugharne, Wales, where his grave is marked by a simple wooden cross.