A study of Welsh poet R. S. Thomas’s career, including unpublished early notebooks.
R. S. Thomas, Desperado also explores a comparison of his Manafon poems with a contemporary sociological account of a similar region; reflections on his interest in Native American history; an exploration of his poetic relationship with Geoffrey Hill; and a survey of his enduring image in Welsh poetic culture. One of the book’s recurrent themes is Thomas’s role as a cultural warrior representing a marginalized nation—a crucial aspect that is often overlooked since readers may lack the relevant historical, cultural, and political context. With a consideration of his influence on one major Welsh contemporary religious poet, the volume concludes with a reflection on the revealing light thrown on his poetry by Thomas’s lifelong interest in Miguel de Unamuno’s The Tragic Sense of Life.