His poems include the celebration of his 30th birthday 'Poem in October' and the evocation of his youth 'Fern Hill' 1946. His 'play for voices' Under Milk Wood 1954 describes with humour and compassion a day in the life of the residents of a small Welsh fishing village, Llareggub. The short stories of Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog 1940 are autobiographical. Born in Swansea, son of the English Teacher at the local grammar school where he was educated, he worked as a reporter on the South Wales Evening Post, then settled as a journalist in London and published his first volume Eighteen Poems 1934.
