This article was written by Susan Richardson
Since the untimely death of Dylan Thomas in November 1953, the writer's popularity has escalated, especially in his native Wales. In Swansea, the city of his birth, people who are otherwise uninterested in all things literary, flock to readings of Under Milk Wood and engage in lively discussions about it afterwards. Even bus drivers have been heard to quote a few lines from such poems as The Hunchback in the Park as they transport passengers through the streets which Thomas used to wander. From the edge of Swansea Bay to the northernmost suburbs, it seems, he is universally known as "our Dylan."
Thomas famously referred to his South West Wales birthplace as that 'lovely, ugly town'. Without question, the 'loveliness' dominates - beyond the rather bland central shopping area, the residential suburbs spread out across the hills to the north and along the bay to the west as far as the seaside village of Mumbles. A cycle track and promenade follow the coastline: there is a pitch-and-putt golf course, ice cream parlours, areas of parkland and, finally, at Mumbles Head, a stately Victorian pier. Beyond that, still further west, is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Gower Peninsula. Precipitous cliffs and extensive beaches offer walkers, climbers and less energetic seekers of the sun a multitude of outdoor options, all within a forty-five-minute drive of the city centre.
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