Daughter of Dylan Thomas
Publishes Posthumous Book on Poet
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THE BOATHOUSE at Laugharne where Aeronwy spent much of her childhood.
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By EIFION WILLIAMS
"It was never going to be easy to be a daughter of Dylan Thomas - or, for that matter, of his physical and feisty wife Caitlin."
These were the opening lines in The Times of London's obituary for Aeronwy Thomas-Ellis, who died of leukemia in July at the age of 66.
It goes on to relate how Aeronwy largely sublimated the memories of her early life with her tempestuous parents and became a much respected advocate for her father and his literary works.
Aeronwy was born in London but spent much of her childhood in New Quay, Cardiganshire and at the famous Boathouse in Laugharne.
She was 10 when Dylan Thomas died and she spent the next few years in Italy after her mother married an Italian. She became a fluent Italian speaker and translated some Italian poetry into English. She was also a poet in her own right.
After her return from Italy, Aeronwy married Trefor Ellis, a Welshman from Pontypridd, and for many years settled down to suburban life in New Malden, Surrey.
As she grew older her love and appreciation for her father's poetry led to her becoming more involved in preserving and promoting his literary legacy.
She became president of the Dylan Thomas Society of Great Britain and was actively involved in poetry reading events and lecture tours on her father's works throughout the world. She also played an important role in establishing the Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea.
Aeronwy Thomas was never comfortable with the stories of her parents' sordid reputations as heavy drinkers and adulterers.
However, in a book to be published posthumously this week, entitled My Father's Places, she apparently finally chronicles what she can remember and what she was told about the first 10 years of her life. By all accounts, the Thomas household was even stormier than previously thought.
Aeronwy Thomas's ashes were scattered at the Boathouse in Laugharne, where she spent part of her early life with her brothers Llewelyn, who died in 2000, and Colm, who lives in Italy. She leaves behind her husband Trefor and her two children, Huw and Hannah.
In a BBC interview in 2003, Aeronwy revealed that the Boathouse had a lasting effect on her. She said, "I never really got over it. I always feel there's something missing in my life."
Referring to her father, she said, "Some of my best memories are when we walked back silently without speaking to the Boathouse and I just felt so comfortable with him and he obviously felt comfortable with me because there wasn't any need to speak."
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