Dylan Thomas (Swansea, 1914 – New York, 1953) was perhaps the last of the great bards of Western literature. A visionary poet, actor and storyteller, his short and turbulent life helped to make him a cult figure with a legendary aura.
He inherited the tradition of Blake and W.B. Yeats and was a decisive influence on the Beat Generation, the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Jim Morrison, becoming a sort of guardian genius for subversive artists and restless souls. He had a mystical and all-encompassing bond with his homeland, the Welsh countryside. An acclaimed orator capable of captivating crowds, he recited verses from the stage until just a few hours before losing consciousness in a Manhattan bar, falling into a coma from which he would never awaken.
Blending biography, fiction and criticism, Cesare Catà boldly retraces his life and evokes his iconic status, following his trail through the pages and the pubs, amidst the Celtic mists and the enchantment of his words.