Caitlin Thomas (née Macnamara; 8 December 1913 – 31 July 1994) was an author and the wife of the poet and writer
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Under ...
. Their marriage was a stormy affair, fuelled by alcohol and infidelity, though the couple remained together until Dylan's death in 1953. After his death, she wrote the book ''Leftover Life to Kill'', an account of her self-exile to Italy. She paints a portrait of a grieving widow seeking solace in distance, a younger lover, and alcohol.
Early history
Caitlin Macnamara was born in
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.
...
, London, to Francis Macnamara and Yvonne Majolier.
[Ferris (1989), pg 149.] The couple had a son and three daughters, of whom Caitlin was the youngest. Her eldest sister
Nicolette became an artist and author.
The Macnamaras were descended from a family of
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...
landlords, and her grandfather, Henry Vee Macnamara, was the squire of two estates in
County Clare
County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...
.
Caitlin's maternal grandfather, Edouard Majolier, was a
French Quaker
Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...
corn merchant in London, whilst her grandmother, Susannah Cooper, was the daughter of an
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...
landlord, and a sister-in-law to
Alfred Perceval Graves
Alfred Perceval Graves (22 July 184627 December 1931), was an Anglo-Irish poet, songwriter and folklorist. He was the father of British poet and critic Robert Graves.
Early life
Graves was born in Dublin and was the son of The Rt Rev. Cha ...
and an aunt to
Joseph Maunsel Hone
Joseph Maunsell Hone (1882 – 26 March 1959) was an Irish writer, literary historian, critic and biographer of George Moore and W. B. Yeats. He was one of the notable group of writers associated with the literary and theatre movement in Irela ...
and
Philip Graves
Philip Perceval Graves (25 February 1876 – 3 June 1953) was an Anglo-Irish journalist and writer. While working as a foreign correspondent of ''The Times'' in Constantinople, he exposed ''The Protocols of the Elders of Zion'' as an antise ...
.
Anton Dolin was another, more distant, relation.
Francis, a would-be poet, moved in literary circles, being friendly with a number of artists,
but when Caitlin was about four or five, he began to live apart from his family.
Yvonne left London, and she and the girls settled in
Blashford, near
Ringwood and the
New Forest
The New Forest is one of the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in Southern England, covering southwest Hampshire and southeast Wiltshire. It was proclaimed a royal forest by William the Conqueror, featu ...
, where they were close friends to Welsh artist
Augustus John
Augustus Edwin John (4 January 1878 – 31 October 1961) was a Welsh painter, draughtsman, and etcher. For a time he was considered the most important artist at work in Britain: Virginia Woolf remarked that by 1908 the era of John Singer Sarg ...
and his family.
In her early teens, Caitlin fell in love with
Caspar John
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Caspar John (22 March 1903 – 11 July 1984) was a senior Royal Navy officer who served as First Sea Lord from 1960 to 1963. He was a pioneer in the Fleet Air Arm and fought in the Second World War in a cruiser taking ...
, son of Augustus John, despite the fact that he was almost eleven years her senior.
During this period she was raped by Augustus, who seemed to believe that sex with those he painted was an artist's privilege.
In 1930, at the age of 16, Caitlin returned to London and entered a dancing school, and at 18 was a member of a London
chorus line
A chorus line is a large group of dancers who together perform synchronized routines, usually in musical theatre. Sometimes, singing is also performed.
Chorus line dancers in Broadway musicals and revues have been referred to by slang terms su ...
. She had also spent parts of her childhood with her grandmother, Susannah, in the Majolier house in
Congénies
Congénies (; oc, Congènhas) is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.
It is situated between Nîmes, Montpellier, the Cévennes and the Camargue and has a strong Quaker history. Congénies possesses the only and oldest purpose ...
in the south of France. She later lived for a brief time in Paris before moving to County Clare in 1934, when her father returned to the Macnamaras' reduced estates.
Life with Dylan Thomas
Caitlin Macnamara was introduced to Dylan Thomas in a pub, either the
Wheatsheaf or the
Fitzroy Fitzroy or FitzRoy may refer to:
People As a given name
*Several members of the Somerset family (Dukes of Beaufort) have this as a middle-name:
**FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788–1855)
** Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset, 8th Duke of Beau ...
,
in
Fitzrovia
Fitzrovia () is a district of central London, England, near the West End. The eastern part of area is in the London Borough of Camden, and the western in the City of Westminster. It has its roots in the Manor of Tottenham Court, and was urban ...
, London, in 1936 by Augustus John.
[Ferris (1989), pg 151.] She and Dylan bonded immediately, and that summer he travelled to
Laugharne
Laugharne ( cy, Talacharn) is a town on the south coast of Carmarthenshire, Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Tâf.
The ancient borough of Laugharne Township ( cy, Treflan Lacharn) with its Corporation and Charter is a unique survival ...
in Wales where Caitlin and John were staying at
Castle House
A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but u ...
where
Richard Hughes lived.
[Ferris (1989), pg 152.] Dylan arrived with a friend, Fred Janes, and after the four travelled to
Fishguard
Fishguard ( cy, Abergwaun, meaning "Mouth of the River Gwaun") is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, with a population of 3,419 in 2011; the community of Fishguard and Goodwick had a population of 5,407. Modern Fishguard consists of two pa ...
to view a painting exhibition, Dylan became drunk and jealous and started an argument with John. John punched Dylan and drove back to Laugharne with Macnamara.
By the end of 1936, Caitlin and Dylan Thomas had begun a relationship through correspondence.
[Ferris (1989), pg 153.] By 21 April 1937, the couple were together in London, and, on 11 July 1937, they were married in
Penzance
Penzance ( ; kw, Pennsans) is a town, civil parish and port in the Penwith district of Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is about west-southwest of Plymouth and west-southwest of London. Situated ...
, Cornwall.
After a period in Blashford, Hampshire with Caitlin's mother, they eventually settled in a rented cottage in Gosport Street, Laugharne, in the spring of 1938, before moving into 'Sea View' a couple of months later.
They left 'Sea View' in July 1940 and then led a peripatetic lifestyle; over the next few years, they lived in Hampshire (again),
Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
,
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
,
Bishopton,
Talsarn
Talsarn is a hamlet in the community of Nantcwnlle, Ceredigion, Wales. It lies some 16 miles (26 km) south of Aberystwyth, 64 miles (103 km) north-west of Cardiff, and 178 miles (286 km) from London. It is situated almost half-way ...
,
New Quay
New Quay ( cy, Cei Newydd) is a seaside town (and electoral ward) in Ceredigion, Wales, with a resident population of around 1,200 people, reducing to 1,082 at the 2011 census. Located south-west of Aberystwyth on Cardigan Bay with a harbour a ...
, Blaencwm (
Llansteffan
Llansteffan, is a village and a community situated on the south coast of Carmarthenshire, Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Tywi, south of Carmarthen.
Description
The community includes Llanybri and is bordered by the communities of: L ...
),
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
and Italy, before returning from Italy to
South Leigh
:''There is also a Southleigh in Devon.''
South Leigh is a village and civil parish on Limb Brook, a small tributary of the River Thames, about east of Witney in Oxfordshire. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 336.
Manor
So ...
in
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...
in September 1947. In May 1949, the Thomases moved into
The Boat House, which had come on the market for £3000, and was purchased by Margaret Taylor, one of Dylan's benefactors, and wife of the historian
A. J. P. Taylor
Alan John Percivale Taylor (25 March 1906 – 7 September 1990) was a British historian who specialised in 19th- and 20th-century European diplomacy. Both a journalist and a broadcaster, he became well known to millions through his televis ...
.
Caitlin Thomas had three children by Dylan, Llewelyn Edouard (1939–2000),
Aeronwy Thomas-Ellis (1943–2009) and Colm Garan Hart (1949–2012).
Although Dylan tried to portray himself as a bohemian character, it was Caitlin who was the true rebel. Vera Philips, a childhood friend of Dylan from
Swansea
Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe).
The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...
, recalled "Dylan had the proper Welsh background, ... He was brought up like me, worrying "What will the neighbours think?" Whereas Caitlin didn't care a bugger what anyone thought."
[Ferris (1989), pg 164.]
Their marriage was a notoriously stormy affair, fuelled by alcohol and infidelity.
Caitlin once famously described their relationship as "raw, red bleeding meat".
Despite their fiery marriage, she jealously protected both Dylan and his reputation, and tried to protect him from others and himself.
Although Caitlin was known for her belligerent personality, some writers
have shown sympathy for a woman who was at the receiving end of Dylan's sometimes foul-mouthed abuse and pouting silences. She became more and more resentful of her role as a stay-at-home mother, compounded by the run-down nature of their home, the Boat House, which had neither electricity nor running water.
The relationship between the couple deteriorated further when in 1950, Dylan undertook the first of his tours of America. The trips were arranged as a lucrative venture to gain capital to fund Dylan's poetry writing while back in Britain, though by the time of his return, the money he had accumulated did little more than repay outstanding debts.
[Ferris (1989), pg 275.] Furthermore, Caitlin had become more and more frustrated at being left behind, dealing with the children and the bills, while her husband spent his time carousing in another country.
In October 1953, Dylan travelled to
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
without her, to give further readings of ''Under Milk Wood''. On 5 November, he collapsed with breathing difficulties and was admitted to hospital. Caitlin travelled to America to be with her husband, though her reaction on arriving at his death bed was aggressive, reportedly shouting "Is the bloody man dead yet?". In her autobiography, ''Caitlin: Life with Dylan Thomas'', she states that she had no recollection of using the words, but she was, by her own words, "stinkin' drunk" by the time she arrived.
[Thomas (1986), pg 182.] Other reports state that when Caitlin found another woman tending to her comatose husband, she flew into a fit of rage, biting an attendant and fighting with bystanders until she was subdued.
When she became uncontrollable, she was put in a
straitjacket
A straitjacket is a garment shaped like a jacket with long sleeves that surpass the tips of the wearer's fingers. Its most typical use is restraining people who may cause harm to themselves or others. Once the wearer slides their arms into the ...
and committed to the River Crest private psychiatric detox clinic on
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
.
In 1957, Caitlin published a frank account of her later life and reflections on her life with Dylan, titled ''Leftover Life to Kill'', though she refused to collaborate with most of her husband's biographers in later years.
In a memoir published in 1982, she described her relationship with Dylan as "Predominantly a drink story because without the first-aid of drink it could never have got on to its rocking feet."
In 1986, Caitlin published her autobiography ''Caitlin: Life with Dylan Thomas''. Although their relationship was tempestuous, her writings in a personal journal uncovered over fifty years after Dylan's death showed her passion and love for her husband.
Later life
After Dylan's death in 1953, Caitlin returned to Laugharne, but she was desperate to leave the village, referring to it as a "permanently festering wound". She spent less and less time in Wales, and made several journeys to Ireland and Italy. She spent an increasing amount of time in Italy, staying on
Procida
Procida (; nap, Proceta ) is one of the Flegrean Islands off the coast of Naples in southern Italy. The island is between Cape Miseno and the island of Ischia. With its tiny satellite island of Vivara, it is a ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City ...
, until, in 1957, she decided to relocate to the country. She left Britain with her children in September 1957, and moved to Rome with a Welsh actor and writer, Cliff Gordon. Gordon was gay, and his main purpose in Rome appears to have been as a drinking partner for Caitlin. Towards the end of 1957, while eating at a restaurant on
Via Margutta
Via Margutta is a narrow street in the centre of Rome, near Piazza del Popolo, accessible from Via del Babuino in the ancient Campo Marzio neighborhood also known as ''"the foreigner's quarter"''. Mount Pincio is nearby. Via Margutta original ...
she met Giuseppe Fazio, a Sicilian 'director's assistant'.
The couple began a relationship soon after, which lasted until her death. Although they never married, they had a son together, Francesco, who was born on 29 March 1963 when Caitlin was 49. In 1963, while in Italy, she wrote her second book, ''Not Quite Posthumous Letters to My Daughter''.
By her own account, after the death of Dylan she experienced severe emotional and psychological distress, and was treated in clinics and asylums in London, Rome and
Catania
Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...
.
[Thomas (1986), pg 195.] She began to attend
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an international mutual aid fellowship of alcoholics dedicated to abstinence-based recovery from alcoholism through its spiritually-inclined Twelve Step program. Following its Twelve Traditions, AA is non-professi ...
in 1973, aged 60. In 1982, she and Fazio left Rome and moved to
Catania
Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...
, Sicily, eventually moving into a house left by Fazio's mother.
Caitlin Thomas died in Catania on 31 July 1994 following a long illness, aged 80. She was buried next to Dylan in Laugharne, though the burial request came as a surprise to her family, with her daughter believing that she would have preferred to have been buried in Italy after spending so much of her later life there.
In popular culture
Drama and film
* In 1964,
Kate Reid
Daphne Katherine Reid (4 November 1930 – 27 March 1993) was an English-born Canadian stage, film, and television actress. She played more than one thousand roles, most notably onstage in '' Death of a Salesman'', in the 1980 film ''Atlantic C ...
was nominated for a
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...
for her performance as Caitlin in the play ''
Dylan''.
* In a 2008 film, ''
The Edge of Love
''The Edge of Love'' is a 2008 British biographical romantic drama film directed by John Maybury and starring Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller, Cillian Murphy and Matthew Rhys. The script was written by Knightley's mother, Sharman Macdonald. Origi ...
,'' Caitlin was played by
Sienna Miller
Sienna Rosie Diana Miller (born December 28, 1981) is an American-British actress. Born in New York City and raised in London, she began her career as a photography model, appearing in the pages of Italian ''Vogue'' and for the 2003 Pirelli cal ...
, in a story that reflects the relationship between Caitlin, Dylan and Vera Philips, Dylan's childhood friend and distant cousin.
* A second movie, ''Caitlin'', with
Miranda Richardson and
Rosamund Pike
Rosamund Mary Ellen Pike (born 1979) is a British actress. She began her acting career by appearing in stage productions such as ''Romeo and Juliet'' and ''Gas Light''. After her screen debut in the television film ''A Rather English Marriage'' ...
depicting the title character at different points in her life, was to be produced the same year, but failed to reach the screen. Caitlin Thomas is played by
Kelly Reilly
Jessica Kelly Siobhán Reilly (born 18 July 1977) is an English actress. She first appeared on screen in 1995 on the series '' The Biz''. Her other television work includes starring roles in the British crime drama '' Above Suspicion'' (2009– ...
in the 2014 film chronicling her husband's first tour of the US, ''
Set Fire to the Stars
''Set Fire to the Stars'' is a 2014 Welsh semi-biographical drama film directed by Andy Goddard in his directorial debut. Co-written by Goddard and Celyn Jones, the film stars Elijah Wood as poet John M. Brinnin and Jones as Dylan Thomas with s ...
''.
* In the 2014 UK television drama ''
A Poet in New York
A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...
'', Caitlin is portrayed by
Essie Davis
Esther Davis (born 19 January 1970) is an Australian actress and singer, best known for her roles as Phryne Fisher in ''Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries'' and its film adaptation, '' Miss Fisher & the Crypt of Tears'', and as Amelia Vanek in '' T ...
.
*
Romola Garai
Romola Sadie Garai (; born 6 August 1982) is a British actress and film director. She appeared in ''Amazing Grace'', ''Atonement'', and ''Glorious 39'', and in the BBC series '' Emma'', '' The Hour'' and ''The Crimson Petal and the White''. In ...
portrayed her in the 2016 film ''
Dominion
The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire.
"Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 1926 ...
'' opposite
Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans (; born Rhys Owain Evans; 22 July 1967) is a Welsh actor and musician. He was the frontman of Welsh rock music bands the Peth and Super Furry Animals. As an actor, he is best known for his roles in ''Notting Hill'' (1999), ''Kevin & ...
as Dylan Thomas.
Popular music
* The Australian rock band
The Paradise Motel
The Paradise Motel are an independent Australian rock band that formed in Hobart, Tasmania in 1994. They relocated to Melbourne and issued two albums on Mushroom Records, ''Still Life'' (1996) and '' Flight Paths'' (1998) before moving to the Un ...
named their 1997
debut album after the title of Caitlin's autobiography.
* American folksinger
Joe Crookston wrote a song about Caitlin's relationship with Dylan, entitled ''Caitlin at the Window'', which was released on his 2011 album ''Darkling and the BlueBird Jubilee''.
* The 2018 album by
Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Welsh Rock music, rock band formed in Blackwood, Caerphilly, Blackwood in 1986. The band consists of cousins James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, lead guitar) and Sean Moore (musician ...
titled ''
Resistance Is Futile'' features a track about the marriage of Dylan and Caitlin Thomas, written from a first person perspective, titled "Dylan & Caitlin".
References
Bibliography
* Devas, Nicolette (1966) ''Two Flamboyant Fathers'', Collins
* Devas, Nicolette (1978) ''Susannah's Nightingales'', Collins
*
*
* Thomas, Aeronwy (2009) ''My Father’s Places'', Constable
* Thomas, Caitlin (1957) ''Leftover Life to Kill'', Putnam
* Thomas, Caitlin (1963) ''Not Quite Posthumous Letter to My Daughter'', Putnam
*
* Thomas, Caitlin (1997) ''Double Drink Story: My Life with Dylan Thomas'', Virago
*
* Thomas, D. N. (2013) ''Dylan Thomas and the Edge of Love: the Real Story'' in ''Cambria'' – also online a
Cambria
External links
learning more about caitlin thomasCaitlin's secret American cousinsdiscover dylan thomas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Caitlin
1913 births
1994 deaths
English autobiographers
People from Hammersmith
Writers from London
People of Anglo-Irish descent