R. S. Thomas, Desperado : Cultural Warrior of Wales - M.Wynn Thomas

This study ranges R.�S.�Thomas's career, and�includes a study of unpublished early notebooks;�a comparison of his�Manafon�poems with a contemporary sociological account of a similar region;�reflections on his interest in Native American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 cultural warrior�representing�a marginalised nation�- a�crucial aspect�often�overlooked,�not least because readers�may�lack the relevant historical,�cultural�and political context�to appreciate it.�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.�