In this authoritative, fresh, and compelling account of the extraordinary
life and enduring work of Dylan Thomasauthor of Under Milk Wood, A Childs
Christmas in Wales, Adventures in the Skin Trade, Portrait of the Artist As a Young Dog,
and numerous poems and storiesAndrew Lycett peels back the layers of story that
have accumulated around this extraordinarily talented writer, one of the most celebrated
and contradictory literary figures of the twentieth century.

Lycett uses as his overwhelming motif the deeply ambivalent forces in Thomass life
I hold a beast, an angel, and a madman in me said Thomasthat allowed him to be a
wild boy in public and a poet of deep sensitivity in private.

Astonishingly detailed, deeply and expertly researched, and captivatingly written
Lycetts biography is, frankly, stunning. Literary Review

a colorful and poignant tale. Time

Lycetts new biography.[is] told here with thoroughness and impartiality.
Publishers Weekly

Andrew Lycett received a history degree from Oxford University before becoming a journalist at the London Sunday Times where he served as a foreign correspondent in Africa and the Middle East. He continues to be a regular contributor to the Times and a wide range of newspapers and magazines. His previous acclaimed biographies include lives of Muammar Qadaffi, Ian Fleming, and Rudyard Kipling. He lives in London.

Earphones Awards recipient Simon Vance was born in England and worked for the BBC for ten years as a radio news announcer and as a narrator for the Royal National Institute for the Blind in London. Besides narrating audiobooks, he is involved in numerous stage-acting projects in the United States and Europe.