Aeronwy Thomas
Encyclopedia
Aeronwy Bryn Thomas-Ellis (3 March 1943 – 27 July 2009) translator of Italian poetry, was the second child and only daughter of the Welsh
poet Dylan Thomas
and his wife, Caitlin Macnamara.
, where her parents lived at the time, she was named for the River Aeron
. In 1949, the family moved to the Boat House, Laugharne, Carmarthenshire
, Wales
. The middle child of three, she had two brothers, Llewellyn (also deceased) and Colm.
At the age of 10 Aeronwy Thomas was enrolled by her mother at the Arts Educational School in Tring, Hertfordshire, now Tring Park School for the Performing Arts, also spending one year in 1958 at Dartington Hall School in Devon. Following her father's death in 1953, she and her mother went to Rome
, later moving to Sicily
after her mother began a relationship with her long term partner Giuseppe Fazio.Thomas earned a BA (Hons) in English and Comparative Religion at Isleworth College
, and a TEFL Diploma at Woking Adult Education College. In 2003 she was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the University of Wales, Swansea.
.
A much sought-after visiting professor in schools and universities in the U.K. and abroad, in the late ‘90s she was highly popular with the students of Giuseppe Perotti School in Torino, Italy
, for her distance-learning "creative writing" courses.
In 2007 she became President of IMMAGINE&POESIA
(Image and Poetry), the international artistic literary movement founded at Teatro Alfa, Torino, Italy.
The song Until the stars fall was dedicated to her memory by Gavin Adam Wood in 2011.
on 27 July 2009 in New Malden SW London
, aged 66.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
poet Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...
and his wife, Caitlin Macnamara.
Early life
Born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where her parents lived at the time, she was named for the River Aeron
River Aeron
The River Aeron is a small river in Ceredigion, Wales, that flows into Cardigan Bay at Aberaeron. It is also referred to on some older maps as the River Ayron.- Source :...
. In 1949, the family moved to the Boat House, Laugharne, Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The middle child of three, she had two brothers, Llewellyn (also deceased) and Colm.
At the age of 10 Aeronwy Thomas was enrolled by her mother at the Arts Educational School in Tring, Hertfordshire, now Tring Park School for the Performing Arts, also spending one year in 1958 at Dartington Hall School in Devon. Following her father's death in 1953, she and her mother went to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, later moving to Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
after her mother began a relationship with her long term partner Giuseppe Fazio.Thomas earned a BA (Hons) in English and Comparative Religion at Isleworth College
West Thames College
West Thames College is a medium sized college of further and higher education. It has two campuses in the London Borough of Hounslow in Middlesex, England: a main campus in Isleworth and a smaller Skills Centre in Feltham...
, and a TEFL Diploma at Woking Adult Education College. In 2003 she was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the University of Wales, Swansea.
Career
After learning Italian, she became a translator of Italian poetry. She was also known as an ambassador for her father's work, and as a patron of the Dylan Thomas Society. She was the President of the Alliance of Literary SocietiesAlliance of Literary Societies
The Alliance of Literary Societies, or A. L. S., is an umbrella organisation for literary societies mainly based in the United Kingdom.The Alliance of Literary Societies was founded in 1973, as a result of a campaign to preserve a property associated with Charles Dickens, and has over 120 member...
.
A much sought-after visiting professor in schools and universities in the U.K. and abroad, in the late ‘90s she was highly popular with the students of Giuseppe Perotti School in Torino, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, for her distance-learning "creative writing" courses.
In 2007 she became President of IMMAGINE&POESIA
IMMAGINE&POESIA
__notoc__IMAGE&POETRY is an international artistic literary movement, founded at Alfa Teatro, Torino, Italy in 2007. The main ideas of the movement have been written in their manifesto consisting of 10 points...
(Image and Poetry), the international artistic literary movement founded at Teatro Alfa, Torino, Italy.
The song Until the stars fall was dedicated to her memory by Gavin Adam Wood in 2011.
Personal life
She and her husband Trefor Ellis had two children: a son, Huewe, and a daughter, Hannah.Death
Aeronwy Thomas died of cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
on 27 July 2009 in New Malden SW London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, aged 66.
Works
- Later than Laugharne (Celtion, 1976)
- Christmas and Other Memories (Amwy Press, 1978)
- Poems and Memories (Pedrini, Turin)
- Christmas in the Boathouse (2003)
- Rooks and Poems (Poetry Monthly Press, 2004)
- A daughter remembers Dylan (Merton Books, 2006) - an expanded version of the booklet Christmas and Other Memories
- I Colori Delle Parole (Rotaract, 2007) - includes poems by Aeronwy Thomas and paintings by Gianpiero Actis (in Italian and English)
- Away With Words - an anthology of poetry - includes poems by Aeronwy Thomas, Beryl Myers, Anne Taylor, Frances White (Poetry Monthly Press, 2007)
- Burning Bridges (Cross-Cultural Communications, Merrick, New York, 2008)
- Shadows and Shades - Selected Poems (Poetry Monthly Press, 2009)
- My Father's Places (Constable, 2009)
- Nightwatch (17 poems) in Poet to Poet #3 (The Seventh Quarry, 2010)