Dylan Thomas timeline

27 October 1914
Dylan Marlais Thomas is born at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive in Swansea, South Wales.

September 1925
Becomes a pupil at Swansea Grammar School, where his father teaches English.

December 1925
Thomas' first poem is published in the school magazine, which he later edits.

14 January 1927
The poem His Requiem appears in Wales' Western Mail newspaper.

October 1929
A couplet from one of Thomas' poems is quoted in the London magazine Everyman.

December 1929
Thomas' essay Modern Poetry is published in the school magazine.

1930
Thomas sends samples of his poems to Robert Graves, who describes them as 'irreproachable'.

27 April 1930
Begins the first of four notebooks containing his poetry.

July 1931
Thomas leaves school to become a reporter on the South Wales Evening Post.

16 December 1932
He leaves his job at the Evening Post, though he continues as a freelance journalist.

March 1933
A poem, And Death Shall Have No Dominion, is published in the New English Weekly.

August 1933
First visit to London.

20-22 May 1934
First visit to Laugharne in Carmarthenshire.

10 November 1934
Moves to London.

18 November 1934
His first poetry volume, 18 Poems, is published.

April 1936
Moves to Cornwall. Meets Caitlin Macnamara.

10 September 1936
The second poem collection, Twenty-five Poems, is published.

21 April 1937
Thomas makes his first radio broadcast, Life And The Modern Poet.

11 July 1937
Marries Caitlin Macnamara in Penzance, Cornwall.

March 1938
Thomas begins negotiations for publication of his work in America.

April
Moves to his parents' house in Swansea.

May 1938
Moves to Laugharne.

30 January 1939
The couple's first son, Llewelyn, is born.

24 August 1939
A collection of poems and prose, The Map Of Love, is published.

20 December 1939
The World I Breathe becomes Thomas' first collection published in America.

4 April 1940
Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog, a collection of autobiographical short stories, is published.

July 1940
Leaves Laugharne to move to London. Thomas moves between London and Wales frequently during the war.

24 September 1940
Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog is published in America.

October 1940
Begins writing film scripts for the Strand Film Company.

3 March 1943
Daughter Aeronwy is born in London. She is named after Cardiganshire's Aeron river.

September 1943The family joins his parents at Llangain, near the Fernhill farm which later inspires the poem Fern Hill.

February 1944
The family moves to Bosham in Sussex.

4 September 1944
The family moves to New Quay in Cardigan Bay.

14 December 1944
Records Quite Early One Morning, a predecessor of Under Milk Wood, in London for the BBC Welsh Home Service.

6 December 1945
Records Memories Of Christmas for the BBC Welsh Service Children's Hour.

7 February 1946
The poetry collection Deaths And Entrances, which contains Fern Hill, is published.

8 November 1946
Selected Writings is published in America.

February 1948
Stays in Llangain with his father, while Dylan's mother Florence is in hospital.

May 1949
The Thomases move to the Boat House in Laugharne.

24 July 1949
Son Colm is born in Carmarthen Hospital.

20 February 1950
Begins his first American lecture tour.

15 January 1952
Embarks on his second American tour with Caitlin.

February 1952
Poetry collection In Country Sleep is published in America.

10 November 1952
Collected Poems 1934-1952 is published in Britain.

16 December 1952
Thomas' father dies at the age of 76.

April-June 1953
The third American tour.

3 June 1953
Thomas flies back to Britain.

9 October 1953
Leaves Laugharne for the final American tour. He travels via Swansea, where he delivers Under Milk Wood to the BBC.

27 October 1953
Thomas' 39th birthday.

October-November 1953
Goes on a New York drinking binge.

4 November 1953
Thomas falls into a coma.

7 November 1953
Caitlin Thomas flies to New York.

9 November 1953
Dylan Thomas dies at St Vincent's Hospital, New York.