TimelineCymraeg

1914

October 27th: Dylan Marlais Thomas born.
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1925

Dylan entered Swansea Grammar School.
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1926

Dylan won first prize for running at school.
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1931

Dylan left Swansea Grammar School to become a reporter on the South Wales Daily Post.
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1932

Dylan joined Swansea Little Theatre Company and became friends with a group of talented Swansea men who met in the Kardomah café.
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1933

August: Dylan went to London for the first time.
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1934

February 23rd: Dylan's visited London again, staying with Pamela Hansford Johnson.

November: Dylan moved to London, living with friends Alfred Janes and Mervyn Levy.

December 18th: Dylan's first book of poems -18 Poems appeared.
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1936

April: Dylan met Caitlin Macnamara, lover of artist Augustus John at the time.

July: Dylan and Caitlin met again in Laugharne. Dylan and Augustus John fought over Caitlin.

September 10: 'Twenty Five Poems' was published.
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1937

April 21st: Dylan's first radio broadcast 'Life and the Modern Poet' was recorded in London.

July 11th: Dylan and Caitlin were married.

September: Dylan and Caitlin stayed with Dylan's parents in Bishopston, Gower.
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1938

May: Dylan and Caitlin moved to a small cottage in Laugharne.

August: Dylan and Caitlin moved from Eros to Sea View, Laugharne.

November: Dylan and Caitlin stayed with Caitlin's mother while she was pregnant.
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1939

January 30th: Dylan and Caitlin's first child - Llewelyn Edouard Thomas was born.

August 24th: Dylan's third poetry collection - The Map of Love was published.

December 20th: The World I Breathe - a collection of poems and short stories, was published in the US.

Dylan and Caitlin were still staying with Caitlin's family in Hampshire.
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1940

March /April: Dylan, wife and little boy moved back to Sea View, Laugharne.

April 4th: Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog was published.

May: Dylan failed his Army medical.

Dylan and Caitlin had debts in Laugharne therefore moved his parents house in Bishopston.

In June/August: They stayed with John Davenport and his wife in Gloucestershire.

July: Dylan and Caitlin left Laugharne for London.

September: Dylan began working for Strand Films as a script writer.

December: They returned to stay with Dylan's parents in Bishopston.

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1941

February 19th -21st: Swansea was bombed by the Luftwaffe.

May/July: Dylan and Caitlin stayed with Richard and Frances Hughes in Laugharne.

August: Dylan and Caitlin moved back to London.
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1942

July: Dylan and Caitlin rented one-room studio in London.

1943

Dylan's continuous work as a broadcaster began.

February: New Poems was published in the US.

March 3rd: Aeronwy Bryn Thomas was born

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1944

April /June: Dylan and Caitlin lived in West Sussex and then in Buckinghamshire.

July/August: They stayed with Dylan's parents, who had now moved to Blaencwm, Llangain, Carmarthenshire.

September: Dylan and family moved to Majoda, New Quay where Dylan started writing Under Milk Wood.

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1945

August/September: Caitlin and Dylan stayed at Blaencwm.

December/March 1947: Dylan and Caitlin spent Christmas with the historian AJP Taylor and his wife.

Between 1945 and 1949 Dylan either wrote or participated in 100 BBC radio programmes.
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1946

Deaths and Entrances was published.

August: Dylan and Caitlin spent four days in Ireland with Bill and Helen McAlpine.

November 8th: Selected Writings was published in the United States
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1947

March 26th: The Society of Authors awarded Dylan a scholarship, recommending that he visit Italy.

April/August: Dylan and family went to Italy, where he wrote 'In Country Sleep'.

June 15th: BBC broadcasted 'Return Journey'.

June: Margaret Taylor bought the Manor House, Oxford for the Thomas family.
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1948

March/April: Dylan went to Laugharne, hoping to find a place for the family to live.

April: Dylan's parents stayed with the family in Oxford.

Summer: Dylan began work on three film scripts for Gainsborough Films.

October: Margaret Taylor bought the Boathouse in Laugharne for Dylan and his family.
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1949

March 4th: Dylan visited Prague.

May: Dylan and family moved to the Boathouse in Laugharne

Dylan's parents also moved to Laugharne.

July 24th: Colm Garan Hart Thomas was born.
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1950

February 20th: Dylan flew to New York to begin his first tour of the US.

February 23rd: Dylan did his first reading, in the US.

June 1st: Dylan returned to Britain.

September: Caitlin discovered that Dylan had an American mistress.
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1951

January/February: Dylan visited Persia to write a film script.

Caitlin wrote to him saying their marriage was over.

February: Dylan and Caitlin were reconciled.

July: John Malcolm Brinnin, Dylan's American agent, and photographer Rollie McKenna stayed with Dylan in Laugharne.

Summer / Autumn: Dylan wrote 'Lament', 'Poem on His Birthday', 'Do not go gentle into that good night', 'Prologue' and half of Under Milk Wood.

Margaret Taylor acquired a London home for Dylan and family.
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1952

January 20th: Dylan and Caitlin left for the US.

November 10th: Collected Poems 1934-1952 was published.

December 16th: DJ Thomas, Dylan's father, died.
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1953

April 16th: Dylan's sister Nancy, died of cancer.

April 21st: Dylan left for New York to begin his third US tour.

June 3rd: Dylan returned to London.

October 19th: Dylan embarked on his fourth and final US tour.

October 29th: Dylan attended his last public engagement.

November 5th: Dylan collapsed at the Chelsea Hotel, New York.

November 9th: Dylan died.

November 25th: Dylan's funeral was held in Laugharne.
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1954

January 25th: The BBC broadcast Under Milk Wood

1958

August: Dylan's mother - Florence, died.

1982

A Plaque for Dylan was unveiled in Westminster Abbey.

1994

Caitlin died and was buried with Dylan.