Somewhere in the ether is a photo of me with one of those silly daffodil hats that may surface some day for ‘meet the bookstagrammer’ but for now we’ll have to make do with Dylan Thomas.
Under Milk Wood is my first impression of Thomas’s work, despite living in Wales for several years 😅
Set in the fictional Welsh seaside town of LLareggub and narrated by the omniscient First and Second Voice, the story follows an array of eccentric characters going about their daily lives. I didn’t learn until after finishing the book that the name LLareggub, though it bears resemblance to other Welsh place names with the double ‘ll’, is actually a reversal of ‘bugger all’ – which just makes me appreciate the author’s humour all the more. Even better, according to reliable source that is Wikipedia, the town’s name is also the inspiration for the country LLamedos (sod ‘em all) in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series novel Soul Music.
The very beginning of the play struck me most. With its stream of consciousness style and vivid dreamlike imagery, it reminded me a little of the oft-quoted ‘mad ones’ extract from Kerouac’s On the Road.
Poetic phrasing and prose are mixed throughout; Thomas also includes song lyrics. Reminded me of the mad ones excerpt from On the road, with the pace and vivid imagery. The mix of poetry and prose is very interesting; so much to pick out of just the first few pages. His style is unique and this read has definitely piqued my interest in his poetry – at a brief glance, I’m intrigued by the titles alone!
As this work was written to be a ‘play for voices’, I wanted to experience it in the intended medium. Hearing the play accentuates ‘Under Milk Wood’s best features, the rhythm in particular. I would really recommended this version, narrated by Richard Burton. And there is apparently a 2003 BBc rendition featuring Matthew Rhys, Ruth Jones and Sian Phillips 🤩
Bookishly Abroad 