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The author gave himself a challenge: Write about a house that had been empty for 10 years |
The Thread's Must-See |
| The Dylan Thomas Center Swansea, Wales "When he went to America, he was just eaten alive. Yes, he was eaten alive by America." The voice of Caitlin Thomas, Dylan Thomas' long-suffering wife, sounds assured and reflective on a recording you can listen to at the wonderful Dylan Thomas Center in Swansea, Wales. I sat in a green leather armchair and listened to her reminisce about the instant attraction between them when they met in 1937; the financial straits they were often in; and the work he lost to his alcoholism. "The poems and the booze," she says. "He used the booze to wipe out the poems when he wasn't...didn't want to be thinking of them." Thomas grew up in Swansea, a port city in south Wales, where he remains a favorite son. A statue of him sits in a waterfront square and the Dylan Thomas Theater nearby honors his work. You can also create your own Dylan Thomas literary walk, visiting the street — Cwmdonkin Drive — he was born on; the bars he lingered in; and the spectacular Gower peninsula coastline he drew inspiration from. And although Dylan Thomas died at age 39 in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City, his body was brought back to the Welsh town he'd always returned to. You can find his grave at St. Martin's cemetery in Laugharne. An unadorned wooden cross marks the burial site. -K.M. |
| This Week on The Thread |
| Wonder women: A history of female characters in comic books "The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen" by Hope Nicholson Buy this book Bookseller Aja Martin is excited about a new collection that covers the history of female comic book characters. Ever heard of the Man-Huntin' Minnie of Delta Pu? More |
| A literary thriller shows people as their own worst enemies "Broken River" by J. Robert Lennon Buy this book "Broken River" looks like it will be one of the summer's hot reads. More |
| Leaving high school behind for a dangerous life "A Good Country" by Laleh Khadivi Buy this book Laleh Khadivi's new novel traces the path of a young Muslim man in California, the son of strict Iranian immigrant parents, from his first bong hit at age 14 to his eventual radicalization. More |
| We have always been bored — "Yawn" wonders why "Yawn" by Mary Mann Buy this book Mary Mann's new book digs into a phenomenon as old as humanity: boredom. Why do we get bored? Is there a cure? More |
| Boy meets space-alien girl: An intergalactic love story "The Exo Project" by Andrew DeYoung Buy this book Dive into a tale of teen romance, with an interplanetary twist. More |
| Second thoughts about a second marriage "Standard Deviation" by Katherine Heiny Buy this book A husband and wife are complete opposites. She's charming and effusive, he's a buttoned-down man of routine. Katherine Heiny tells NPR's Scott Simon about her first novel, "Standard Deviation." More |
| A teen grows up and learns to love the Bronx "The Education of Margot Sanchez" by Lilliam Rivera Buy this book Instead of going to the beach with her prep school friends, Margot is stuck working at her father's supermarket in the Bronx. Lilliam Rivera says her YA novel was inspired by her own Bronx childhood. More |
| A dancer is unstrung by grief "Isadora" by Amelia Gray Buy this book The great American dancer Isadora Duncan led a tragic life. Her worst year — just after the deaths of her first two children in an accident — forms the core of Amelia Gray's powerful new novel. More |
| Anne Boleyn's true love? Power "A King's Obsession" by Alison Weir Buy this book Alison Weir takes a fresh look at familiar territory in this retelling of the story of Anne Boleyn. Weir's version of Anne is fiercely smart and guilty only of craving power that was hers by right. More |
| Garage-rocker turned novelist gets at the heart of music "Black Mad Wheel" by Josh Malerman Buy this book Detroit garage-rocker Josh Malerman's second novel follows a fictional 1950s rock bad recruited by the government to find the source of a mysterious, ominous sound emanating from the Namib Desert. More |
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