'Dylan Day' to be marked every year

Poet Dylan Thomas will be commemorated each year with a new "Dylan Day", to be celebrated on 14th May.

The announcement comes at the end of the year-long Dylan Thomas 100 Festival, which has celebrated the centenary of the poet's birth. Dylan Day, beginning in 2015, will be funded for three years by the Welsh Government and  aim to raise the profile of Thomas' work both in Wales and abroad, through activities, events and educational resources.

The 14th May has been chosen because it is the date when Under Milk Wood was first read on stage at The Poetry Centre in New York in 1953.

Next year will also see the publication of A Dylan Odyssey, an illustrated collection of trails following the poet across the UK and New York, edited by Literature Wales and published by Graffeg.

Dylan Day was announced today (11th December) at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth.

Thomas' granddaughter Hannah Ellis said: "It is so important that we make the most of the amazing legacy the Dylan Thomas 100 festival has offered and continue to celebrate the achievements of Dylan Thomas. An international day devoted to my grandfather will also be a way to bring attention to literature and arts in Wales and the places that inspired him so much. Let's embrace the day, dress up, read a poem or two and have fun exploring the magic of words."

Earlier this week, Swansea University bought a notebook containing early work by Thomas at a Sotheby's auction, for £104,500.