R. S. Thomas: The Infinite Quest for Welsh Identity

R. S. Thomas (1913-2000) abounded with antinomies: a passionate advocate of Welsh nationalism he wrote in English; a man of devout faith who all his life experienced the elusiveness of God; an undemonstrative man he composed the most tender elegies for his wife; a poet who hardly ever left the narrow confines of north Wales but who at his death was hailed as a major European poet. He is known for his strong nationalism, his strong dislike for the English “colonizing” Wales, and his intense desire for Wales to have an independent national identity. Objective— The main objective of this research paper is to evaluate the unexplored, less known and sometimes unpredictable poet R S Thomas termed as “one of the major English language and European poets of the 20th century”. The most appropriate perspective for the study of Thomas's works may perhaps be to view him as an Anglo-Welsh writer.