When renowned author Dylan Thomas lost his cool over a missing paycheck

Time of India

2 days ago

Credit: X/@POETSorg
The renowned author of the 20th century, Dylan Thomas, continues to mesmerize the world with his works that are timeless and rich with vividness and passion, exploring the complexities of the human soul.
Yet beyond the brilliance of his poetry lies another dimension—a man who, like all of us, grappled with his own frustrations and moments of anger. Newly uncovered photos now reveal a rare glimpse of Thomas as more than just a poetic genius, showing him as a man in a moment of personal turmoil.
These images, lost in a drawer for decades, were uncovered by Dylan Thomas expert J eff Towns, who also pieced together the remarkable backstory.
At the time, Thomas was working for Strand Film Company in London, writing wartime documentaries. When he showed up to collect his pay, no money was waiting for him—sparking an outburst of anger that was captured in this series of never-before-published photos.
'There's one picture of him looking immaculate [with a] big smile,' Towns told Cerys Matthews on BBC Radio 6 Music. 'No cheque and he's pulling the desk apart like a rock and roller throwing a TV out the window.'
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According to Towns, the scene was documented by a quick-thinking receptionist who had witnessed the entire episode and then quietly tucked the images away.
'I got this letter out the blue from a woman who said her mother had worked at Strand Films and straight away I knew how important it was,' Towns said. The receptionist's daughter had the photos, along with a vivid recollection of that day. She shared them with Towns, who incorporated them into his new book, The Wilder Shores of Dylan Thomas.
What made Thomas so furious?
Towns explains that Thomas's fury that day was likely triggered by a missing paycheck. However, he also say that there must be more factors at play there. Towns believes that Thomas, who often lived hand to mouth, had reached a breaking point. 'I know that [Thomas] was forever living from hand to mouth,' he said. 'So the guy was desperate for money and obviously when he went in he thought he was going to trouser a few quid to get through the next few days.
Even just to get to the pub that night. When it wasn't there, he flipped.'
Towns explained that the outburst at Strand Films was highly unusual for Thomas. 'He got into trouble when he was drunk, but he was a pacifist in his own way,' Towns said. 'He didn't fly off the handle a lot—there are a couple of times when things went a bit wrong—but by and large he was passive and talked his way out of problems.'
Though he was known to enjoy a drink—particularly a bourbon called Old Grandad in America—Towns doesn't think Thomas was defined by a bad temper. 'I think he liked to be the centre of attention, in a pub he would tell great stories and people would buy him drinks, but I don't think he was known for a temper in any way,' he said. 'His wife Caitlin had the temper and she would give him a right hiding.'
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