Adventures in the Skin Trade and other stories

by Dylan Thomas

One of the twentieth century's most gifted writers, Dylan Thomas created a vital, lusty, antic world of truly memorable characters. This Signet Classic offers a distinguished selection of his work - twenty stories plus all of his famous unfinished nove, Adventures in the Skin Trade. The title piece relates to the adventures of Samuel Bennet, a young innocent embarked on a wold pilgrimage through modern London. The stories range in theme from life and love to nature and madness, but all are written with the extravagant humor, the brilliant imagery, the magic awareness of the true poet. The New York Times wrote of Adventures in the Skin Trade: "The human warmth keeps bubbling up through the satire. ...Thomas' last work of fiction, in addition to its intrinsic interest, has a meaningfulness comparable to that of Keats' letters and Yeats' memoirs." The New York Herald Tribune found it a "vein of pure gold." And The Saturday Review called Dylan Thomas "a genius."

With an Afterword by Vernon Watkins.

Genres: Short Stories

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

Dylan Marlais Thomas (1914-1953) was a Welsh poet who wrote in English. Many regard him as one of the 20th century's most influential poets.

In addition to poetry, Thomas wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, with the latter frequently performed by Thomas himself. His public readings, particularly in America, won him great acclaim; his booming, at times, ostentatious voice, with a subtle Welsh lilt, became almost as famous as his works. His best-known work includes the "play for voices" Under Milk Wood and the celebrated villanelle for his dying father, "Do not go gentle into that good night." Appreciative critics have also noted the superb craftsmanship and compression of poems such as "In my craft or sullen art" and the rhapsodic lyricism of Fern Hill.

Reviews

[Jude Burrows · Rating 3 out of 5]

An incredibly frustrating collection. The titular story was fantastic, electric with eccentric prose and phrasing, conjuring up all the filth and reckless humanity that Thomas perceived as the lifeblood of his time’s London. However, I found the religious symbolism of the other stories often too dense and tangled to access - I would find flashes of brilliant genius and become hooked, and then just as quickly have this feeling cut short as Thomas delved further into murky waters that seemingly only himself could navigate. Constant were the implicit burning struggles of lust and sexuality, and often present was the writhing dirt of human desire, belief and passion, given life through Thomas’ vivid and colourful pen. Some stories were certainly brilliant - such as ‘After the fair’ and ‘The mouse and the woman’ - but often Thomas’ intention and meaning simply went over my head. A complex and idiosyncratic writer that I will return to.

[Autumn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't get it. Couldn't follow it. Didn't understand it. I was so glad to finish it.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 2.5 stars... only the first and last stories really held my interest or left me wanting more.

[n.n · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️