Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog by Dylan Thomas: a review

Since I first saw the 2014 BBC production of Under Milk Wood, I’ve always had a real soft spot for Dylan Thomas’ work. Hell, the first review I ever posted on here was about a book featuring his spirit. I was therefore pretty pleased to find him on my reading list. Oh, and a quick sidenote: there will only be a couple more books that are explicitly for class, and then I’ll be right back to more regular content.

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog by Dylan Thomas is a short story collection with autobiographical elements. It’s a look into nostalgia, growing up, and what it means to be (and how to cope with being) an adult. At times, it’s Thomas at his most sentimental, but there’s also plenty of looks into issues such as dealing with grief.

            I dipped in and out of this book over the past week, and I think that’s probably for the best. Despite none of the stories being much over 15 pages, there’s so much jam-packed into each one. I mean this in the most complimentary way when I say that it can feel like a whole novel is packed into a single short story. I usually read two or three at a time, and that served me pretty well. Though this book is only a little over a hundred pages, I wouldn’t particularly recommend powering through the whole thing as fast as you can. Savour every story like a fine wine.

            I particularly enjoyed ‘Patricia, Edith, and Arnold’. It tells the story of a pair of women who have been duped by the same man, who is unaware that they have any idea of each other’s existence. The story itself is so enjoyable, if a little bleak given the subject matter. I loved the interactions between the two women, as I can certainly say I’ve met a fair amount of people that could easily be these two. I also love the way he occasionally gives us the perspective of the young boy that features in the story, and brilliantly shows just how much children see and hear, despite how much we think we’re being secretive around them. The little boy doesn’t know the details, but he certainly picks up on much more than anybody bargains for.

I’m sure I’ll find myself dipping in and out of this again in the future. If you’ve never read Dylan Thomas’ work before, then this is certainly a great place to start. If you have read Thomas before, and found yourself wanting more, then I can 100% recommend you find yourself a copy of this.