A Child's Christmas in Wales
Encyclopedia
A Child's Christmas in Wales is a prose work by the Welsh
writer Dylan Thomas
. Originally emerging from a piece written for radio, the poem was recorded by Thomas in 1952. The story is an anecdotal retelling of a Christmas
from the view of a young child and is a romanticised version of Christmases past, portraying a nostalgic and simpler time. It is one of Thomas' most popular works.
since 1937, when he first began reading poetry and talking about his life as a poet. Although his radio work was a minor source of income, in the early 1940s he began looking at writing radio scripts, and in late 1942 he wrote Reminiscences of Childhood, a fifteen minute talk broadcast by the Welsh BBC in February of the next year. This was followed in 1944 by Quite Early one Morning, recorded in Wales and produced by Aneirin Talfan Davies
. Although popular in Wales, when Davies offered the recording to London for national broadcast it was rejected, as the BBC was unimpressed by Dylan's 'breathless poetic voice'. In 1945 Lorraine Davies, the producer of the Welsh Children's Hour
, wrote to Thomas suggesting a talk entitled 'Memories of Christmas'. Thomas thought that this was 'a perfectly good title to hang something on' and by the autumn of that year he had finished the work. This was accepted by BBC London, but the Children's Hour director, Derek McCulloch
(Uncle Mac), was unhappy to allow the 'notoriously tricky' Thomas to read the piece live, which was then the practice of the show. McCulloch wrote to Thomas pretending that there were technical reasons that prevented recording on that day and Thomas recorded the work in advance.
Almost five years later, Thomas enlarged his 1945 BBC talk 'Memories of Christmas' merging in sections of an essay written for Picture Post
in 1947 'Conversation about Christmas'. He then sold the work to American magazine Harper's Bazaar
for $300 in 1950, which was published under the title 'A Child's Memories of a Christmas in Wales'. On his 1952 tour of America, Thomas was visited at his residence in the Chelsea Hotel
by two college graduates, Barbara Holdridge and Marianne Mantell, who believed that there were commercial possibilities in recordings of poetry. After finding little interest from American backers in medieval music and Shakespeare recitals, the two women looked at recording contemporary authors reading their own work.For the 45 minute recording, Thomas agreed on a fee of $500 dollars on the first one thousand records and a ten percent royalty thereafter. Holdridge and Mantell were forced to find the fee themselves after no interested publisher could be found, and a contract was drawn between Thomas and the women's own company, Caedmon Audio
, created for the purpose of recording Thomas. The recording was made on 22 February, and was originally to contain his poems 'In the white giant's thigh', 'Fern Hill
', 'Do not go gentle into that good night
', 'Ballad of the Long-legged Bait' and 'Ceremony After a Fire Raid'. Thomas said he also wanted to read a story and suggested 'A Child's Christmas in Wales', the title the work became known as from that time. Thomas had not come to the studio prepared, and a copy of Harper's Bazaar
from 1950 containing the text had to be found; Mantell later stated that she believed Thomas to be drunk during the recording. The recording sold modestly at first, but later became his most popular prose work in America. The recording was a 2008 selection for the United States National Recording Registry.
Thomas died a year after the recording, in New York city. In 1954, 'A Child's Christmas in Wales' was published in book format for the first time as part of the American pressing of 'Quite early one morning' by New Directions. The story was first published under its own title in 1955, again by New Directions. The book has been republished several times since and due to its short length, lends itself to illustrations. A 1959 pressing by New Directions contained five wood block engravings by Fritz Eichenberg
, the 1968 Dent edition featured woodcuts by Ellen Raskin
, while a 1978 publication by Orion Childrens was illustrated by Edward Ardizzone
, followed by a 1985 version by Holiday House
with images by Trina Schart Hyman
.
and Adrian Mitchell
was commissioned by the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1987, a television film, also called 'A Child's Christmas in Wales' was adapted by Jon Glascoe and Peter Kreutzer, starring Denholm Elliott
. In 2008 a Welsh language
animated
version was produced for S4C
, which was voiced by actor Matthew Rhys
who had played Dylan Thomas in the 2008 film The Edge of Love
. A one-off period comedy called A Child's Christmases in Wales
, inspired by the short story, was broadcast as part of the Christmas 2009 season on BBC Four, starring Ruth Jones
. It was described as peeping into the lives of a south Wales family's Christmases across the 1980s and was written by comedian Mark Watson.
A song, "Child's Christmas in Wales", was written and recorded by Welsh musician John Cale
on his 1973 album, Paris 1919
. The song is inspired by, rather than an adaptation of, A Child's Christmas in Wales, although elsewhere Cale has recorded settings of Dylan Thomas' verse.
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
writer 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...
. Originally emerging from a piece written for radio, the poem was recorded by Thomas in 1952. The story is an anecdotal retelling of a Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
from the view of a young child and is a romanticised version of Christmases past, portraying a nostalgic and simpler time. It is one of Thomas' most popular works.
Publishing history
Dylan Thomas had been recording work for BBC RadioBBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
since 1937, when he first began reading poetry and talking about his life as a poet. Although his radio work was a minor source of income, in the early 1940s he began looking at writing radio scripts, and in late 1942 he wrote Reminiscences of Childhood, a fifteen minute talk broadcast by the Welsh BBC in February of the next year. This was followed in 1944 by Quite Early one Morning, recorded in Wales and produced by Aneirin Talfan Davies
Aneirin Talfan Davies
Aneirin Talfan Davies was a Welsh poet, broadcaster and literary critic.Talfan Davies was brought up in Gorseinon. During the 1930s Davies worked in London as a pharmacist before returning to Wales and settling in Swansea. He was the brother of Alun Talfan Davies, with whom he founded the...
. Although popular in Wales, when Davies offered the recording to London for national broadcast it was rejected, as the BBC was unimpressed by Dylan's 'breathless poetic voice'. In 1945 Lorraine Davies, the producer of the Welsh Children's Hour
Children's Hour
Children's Hour—at first: "The Children's Hour", from a verse by Longfellow—was the name of the BBC's principal recreational service for children during the period when radio dominated broadcasting....
, wrote to Thomas suggesting a talk entitled 'Memories of Christmas'. Thomas thought that this was 'a perfectly good title to hang something on' and by the autumn of that year he had finished the work. This was accepted by BBC London, but the Children's Hour director, Derek McCulloch
Derek McCulloch
Derek Ivor Breashur McCulloch OBE was a BBC Radio presenter and producer, who is best remembered as "Uncle Mac" in Children's Favourites and Children's Hour and for playing 'Larry the Lamb' in Toytown.-Early life:...
(Uncle Mac), was unhappy to allow the 'notoriously tricky' Thomas to read the piece live, which was then the practice of the show. McCulloch wrote to Thomas pretending that there were technical reasons that prevented recording on that day and Thomas recorded the work in advance.
Almost five years later, Thomas enlarged his 1945 BBC talk 'Memories of Christmas' merging in sections of an essay written for Picture Post
Picture Post
Picture Post was a prominent photojournalistic magazine published in the United Kingdom from 1938 to 1957. It is considered a pioneering example of photojournalism and was an immediate success, selling 1,700,000 copies a week after only two months...
in 1947 'Conversation about Christmas'. He then sold the work to American magazine Harper's Bazaar
Harper's Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
for $300 in 1950, which was published under the title 'A Child's Memories of a Christmas in Wales'. On his 1952 tour of America, Thomas was visited at his residence in the Chelsea Hotel
Hotel Chelsea
The Hotel Chelsea, also known as the Chelsea Hotel, or simply the Chelsea, is a historic New York City hotel and landmark, known primarily for its history of notable residents...
by two college graduates, Barbara Holdridge and Marianne Mantell, who believed that there were commercial possibilities in recordings of poetry. After finding little interest from American backers in medieval music and Shakespeare recitals, the two women looked at recording contemporary authors reading their own work.For the 45 minute recording, Thomas agreed on a fee of $500 dollars on the first one thousand records and a ten percent royalty thereafter. Holdridge and Mantell were forced to find the fee themselves after no interested publisher could be found, and a contract was drawn between Thomas and the women's own company, Caedmon Audio
Caedmon Audio
HarperCollins Audio is a record label that specializes in audio books and other literary content. Formerly Caedmon Records, the name was changed when the label switched to CD-only production. Its marketing tag-line was Caedmon: a Third Dimension for the Printed Page.Caedmon was formed in 1953 by...
, created for the purpose of recording Thomas. The recording was made on 22 February, and was originally to contain his poems 'In the white giant's thigh', 'Fern Hill
Fern Hill
Fern Hill is a poem by Dylan Thomas, first published in the October, 1945, Horizon magazine, with its first book publication as the last poem in Deaths and Entrances...
', 'Do not go gentle into that good night
Do not go gentle into that good night
Do not go gentle into that good night, a villanelle, is considered to be among the finest works by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas . Originally published in the journal Botteghe Oscure in 1951, it also appeared as part of the collection "In Country Sleep." Written for his dying father, it is one of...
', 'Ballad of the Long-legged Bait' and 'Ceremony After a Fire Raid'. Thomas said he also wanted to read a story and suggested 'A Child's Christmas in Wales', the title the work became known as from that time. Thomas had not come to the studio prepared, and a copy of Harper's Bazaar
Harper's Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
from 1950 containing the text had to be found; Mantell later stated that she believed Thomas to be drunk during the recording. The recording sold modestly at first, but later became his most popular prose work in America. The recording was a 2008 selection for the United States National Recording Registry.
Thomas died a year after the recording, in New York city. In 1954, 'A Child's Christmas in Wales' was published in book format for the first time as part of the American pressing of 'Quite early one morning' by New Directions. The story was first published under its own title in 1955, again by New Directions. The book has been republished several times since and due to its short length, lends itself to illustrations. A 1959 pressing by New Directions contained five wood block engravings by Fritz Eichenberg
Fritz Eichenberg
Fritz Eichenberg was a German-American illustrator who worked primarily in wood engraving. His best-known works were concerned with religion, social justice and nonviolence....
, the 1968 Dent edition featured woodcuts by Ellen Raskin
Ellen Raskin
Ellen Ermingard Raskin was an American writer, illustrator and fashion designer. She was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and grew up during the Great Depression. She was educated at the University of Wisconsin at Madison...
, while a 1978 publication by Orion Childrens was illustrated by Edward Ardizzone
Edward Ardizzone
Edward Jeffrey Irving Ardizzone, CBE, RA was an English artist, writer and illustrator, chiefly of children's books.-Early life:...
, followed by a 1985 version by Holiday House
Holiday House
Holiday House, Inc., is a publishing house founded in 1935 in New York City, specializing in children's literature. It is a member of the Children's Book Council....
with images by Trina Schart Hyman
Trina Schart Hyman
Trina Schart Hyman was an American illustrator of children's books. She illustrated over 150 books, including fairy tales and Arthurian legends, and was the recipient of three Caldecott Honors and one Caldecott Medal....
.
Style
Like his poetry, 'A Child's Christmas in Wales' does not follow a narrative structure, instead containing several descriptive passages designed to create an emotive sense of nostalgia. The story is told from the viewpoint of the author recounting a festive season as a young boy in a fictionalised autobiographical style. In the first passage Thomas searches for a nostalgic Western belief in Christmas past with the line, It was snowing. It was always snowing at Christmas. He furthers the idyllic memory of childhood past by describing the snow as being better and more exciting then the snow that is experienced as an adult. The prose is purposefully comedic, with exaggerated characters, used either for comedic effect or to show how childhood memories are enlarged due to youthful interpretation.Adaptations
The story has been adapted on several occasions as a play, film and animation. In 1982 a stage adaption of the work by Jeremy BrooksJeremy Brooks
Jeremy Brooks was a novelist, poet, and dramatist. Best known for his novels and for his stage adaptations of classic works, particularly a series of Maxim Gorky plays for the Royal Shakespeare Company...
and Adrian Mitchell
Adrian Mitchell
Adrian Mitchell FRSL was an English poet, novelist and playwright. A former journalist, he became a noted figure on the British anti-authoritarian Left. For almost half a century he was the foremost poet of the country's anti-Bomb movement...
was commissioned by the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1987, a television film, also called 'A Child's Christmas in Wales' was adapted by Jon Glascoe and Peter Kreutzer, starring Denholm Elliott
Denholm Elliott
Denholm Mitchell Elliott, CBE was an English film, television and theatre actor with over 120 film and television credits...
. In 2008 a Welsh language
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
animated
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
version was produced for S4C
S4C
S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
, which was voiced by actor Matthew Rhys
Matthew Rhys
Matthew Rhys Evans , known professionally as Matthew Rhys, is a Welsh actor, best known as Kevin Walker on the U.S. ABC family drama Brothers & Sisters, and as Dylan Thomas in The Edge of Love.-Early life:...
who had played Dylan Thomas in the 2008 film The Edge of Love
The Edge of Love
The Edge of Love is a 2008 John Maybury film starring Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller, Cillian Murphy and Matthew Rhys from a script by Sharman Macdonald, Knightley's mother...
. A one-off period comedy called A Child's Christmases in Wales
A Child's Christmases in Wales
A Child's Christmases in Wales was a 2009 one off period comedy written by comedian Mark Watson, starring Ruth Jones, Paul Kaye, and Steve Speirs...
, inspired by the short story, was broadcast as part of the Christmas 2009 season on BBC Four, starring Ruth Jones
Ruth Jones
Ruth Jones is a Welsh TV actress and writer. She starred in and co-wrote the multi-award winning TV comedy Gavin & Stacey and has appeared in many other successful comedies over recent years...
. It was described as peeping into the lives of a south Wales family's Christmases across the 1980s and was written by comedian Mark Watson.
A song, "Child's Christmas in Wales", was written and recorded by Welsh musician John Cale
John Cale
John Davies Cale, OBE is a Welsh musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground....
on his 1973 album, Paris 1919
Paris 1919 (album)
Paris 1919 is a 1973 album by former Velvet Underground member John Cale. It was produced by Chris Thomas and features a backing band consisting largely of members of Little Feat. It is the most accessible and traditional of Cale's albums, and the most well-known of his work as a solo artist.A...
. The song is inspired by, rather than an adaptation of, A Child's Christmas in Wales, although elsewhere Cale has recorded settings of Dylan Thomas' verse.