International Poetry Forum remembers Dylan Thomas 50 years after his death

In a 1939 poetry review, Dylan Thomas wrote, “Too much poetry is flat on the page, a… In a 1939 poetry review, Dylan Thomas wrote, “Too much poetry is flat on the page, a black-and-white thing of words created by intelligences that no longer think it necessary for a poem to be read and understood by anything but the eyes.” He took it upon himself to ensure that his poetry reached the ears, and he became famous for his powerful readings.

Fifty years ago today, Thomas, the renowned Welsh poet, fell into an alcohol-induced coma, dying four days later at the age of 39. With the anniversary of his tragic death reaching such a milestone, Welsh actor Robert Kingdom is in the process of celebrating Thomas’ life – and his poetry – in a one-man tribute presented by the International Poetry Forum.

“Dylan Thomas: Return Journey” is a dramatic program retracing the life of the poet who performed frequently over BBC radio and at over 40 universities across the United States. Kingdom is said to become Thomas in this award-winning performance that is now touring the country. His is an attempt to breathe life into Thomas’ poetry; even in death this poet and his art will not be silenced; it will not rest idly on the page.

The tribute seems to be one Thomas himself would approve of, being that it celebrates the musical quality of his literary talents. He wrote of language: “what the words stood for, symbolized, or meant was of very secondary importance – what mattered was the very sound of them … those words were, to me, as the notes of bells, the sounds of musical instruments, the noise of wind, sea, and rain, the rattle of milk carts, the clapping of hooves on cobbles, the fingering of branches on a window pane.”

Of himself, Thomas wrote, “I hold a beast, an angel, and a madman in me, and my enquiry is as to their working, and my problem is their subjugation and victory, downthrow and upheaval, and my effort is their self-expression.” Wednesday, Pittsburgh will see if Kingdom is able to beckon the beast, assemble the angel and motion the madman – if he is able to negotiate the contest between insanity and eccentricity that so defined the genius of Dylan Thomas.

“Dylan Thomas: Return Journey” will take place tonight at 8 p.m. as part of the International Poetry Forum at the Carnegie Library Lecture Hall. For more information, call (412) 621-9893.