A Child's Christmas in Wales

By: Dylan Thomas

Narrated by: Dylan Thomas

Length: 48 mins

Publisher's summary

The sights, smells and sounds of a long-ago Christmas come to life in Dylan Thomas's reading of his classic tale. His wonderful recollection of a holiday in the seaside town of his youth is captured in a vivid performance; you'll want to make it part of your family's holiday tradition. This now-remastered collection also includes some of Thomas's most celebrated poems, including "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night."

©1952, 1980, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1992 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., All Rights Reserved, Caedmon, An Imprint of Harper Audio, A Division of HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Hearing Dylan Thomas read 'A Child's Christmas in Wales' is a listening experience of unadulterated pleasure." (Mass Media Newsletter)
"Thomas' deep, thunderous voice belies his sense of humor, which is amply evident." (AudioFile)

A Christmas Classic

This reading by Thomas himself has become a Christmas classic in our house. All at once, one is transported to Wales, hearing the cats, picturing the aunts and uncles, and recalling the wonder of Christmas as experienced by a child.

This puts me in a good mood anytime I listen to it

I was introduced to this story by an Amazing teacher that I had in elementary school and I have loved it ever since. His favorite line was when the aunt sees the firemen and asks "would you like anything to read". Unfortunately the teacher was killed when I was in high school but I listen to this story every Christmas in his memory. It is easily one of my favorite works of literature and I think that anyone that hears it or reads it will be charmed by this magical story as well. There is also a very nice movie adaptation of it as well.

What a Gorgeous Listening Experience!

Hearing the verses he created in his own incredibly powerful voice is such a treat. And in this Season being able to bathe in his Childhood Memories is a real gift. Do Not Go Gentle is one of the most powerful lessons ever invoked and I loved hearing him recite it.

Thank you for making this Five Star recording possible. *****

A gem. Treat yourself

Dylan Thomas' rich, wry humor in his own voice. I listen to these short stories to kick off my holiday season each year.

This is a favorite any time of the year.

This is a fantastic re-issue of the old Recording by the Caedmon Records from 1952. It is lovely that this particular recording has been preserved for current generations, and for those who are old enough to have had records, but have moved with the times in terms of technology.  although I have listened to this recording and various points of the year on occasion, it really has become a holiday tradition for me. Enjoy. 

Absolute perfection

This is what an audio book should be. Read with zest, relish and love of the story, Thomas's words are rhymthic and poetic even in the prose portion. Very moving.

Christmas Tradition

This poem captures the magic of Christmas, and the quirkiness of the adults. To hear Dylan Thomas read it, is an absolute joy. I'm so happy to replace my old, worn cassette with this to continue the tradition of hearing about Mrs. Prothero, the cats, firemen, Useful Presents, and the wonderful list of Useless Presents. The other poems thrown in is simply a wonderful bonus.

Great, but .......

Great reading by a great poet!

The only thing I think I had a problem with was that there was no pause or introduction between readings. It is almost as if he didn't even take a breath! It would have been nice to be able to play just the Christmas in Wales portion and have a sense of when it ended so my kids listening would not be so confused by all that came after.

Don't get me wrong, the rest of the readings are just as great and very seminal, just hard to swallow or understand for my 7, 11 and 13 year old. Just not quite appreciative of works such as ... "gentle into that good night."

A great voice of the 20th Century

Dylan Thomas’s clarion voice thunders through the heart. Whether in the happy ingenuousness of the Welsh child’s Christmas memoir or in the tragic allegory of the death of love or the war requiem for a blitz-seared child, he speaks directly to our longing for meaningful existence. He was our sad, mad, blazing poet.

Dry

Although a nice collection of his works, this version is a somewhat dry recitation by the author.