India, Sept. 10 -- Before he became one of the most distinctive poetic voices of the Anglophone world in the 20th century, Dylan Thomas was a physically frail and asthmatic boy growing up in the seaside town of Swansea, Wales. By the time he was a teenager, he was already writing poetry - he famously claimed that he had written more than half of his collected poems during these early years. Rather than pursue a university degree, he left school at 16 to work as a junior reporter for the South Wales Daily Post; however, his heart remained firmly with poetry and storytelling.

Over time, he became famous for his lyrical intensity, emotional depth, musicality of language and vivid imagery, and his turbulent personal life. However, he was sel...