Authors of Wales

3 January - 5 December 2009

Dylan Thomas

Dylan Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) is Wales’ best-known poet. It is said that the author and performer could touch people with his rich voice and masterful presentations.

Dylan was born and raised in 5 Cwmdonkin Drive, an affluent area of Swansea. In 1934, within the same year of publishing his first volume of poetry, 18 poems, he also moved to London to pursue fame and fortune, but alcohol reliance and debts became a great burden to him.

Dylan met his future wife; Caitlin MacNamara in a tavern in the West End of London and the pair enjoyed a turbulent relationship before setting up home in Talacharn in Carmarthenshire. But this literary giant died on November 9th 1953, when he was only 39 years of age, in a hospital in New York.


Kate Roberts

The renowned author, Kate Roberts was born on 13 February 1891 in Rhosgadfan, in Caernarfonshire. As a quarryman’s daughter, her background and village life played an important role in her early literature.

Shortly after marrying Morris T Williams, a printer, in 1928, the pair moved to Denbigh and bought The Gee Press, publishers of the Welsh-language weekly, Y Faner (The Banner).

Her work is renowned for the richness of her language and she continued to write up until her death on 14th of April, 1985 at 94 years of age.