“Thomas’s Bardic middle name of Marlais (from his paternal great uncle William) together with his poetic first name (Dylan comes from the Celtic epic Mabinogion) surely indicated that he was destined to become a poet? His parents were both fluent in Welsh but chose to bring their children up as English speakers: Thomas’ father taught English at Swansea Grammar school. In 1930 Dylan began his Notebooks which contained the draft workings of most of his poetry published before 1946. On leaving school (1931) he joined the South Wales Daily Post (but also) a local theatre group, and this training undoubtedly gave him a greater appreciation of the sound of language which marks his poetry. After the War, already experienced in BBC broadcasting, Thomas’ beautifully mellifluous and musical voice responded perfectly to the microphone.”
-James Murray
