Dylan Thomas was ‘serial plagiarist’ as a schoolboy, publisher claims
Dylan Thomas’s early poems were plagiarised, publisher claims
- Publisher and Italian translator Alessandro Gallenzi alleges that Welsh poet Dylan Thomas was a serial plagiarist during his school years, identifying at least a dozen instances of stolen work.
- Gallenzi claims that 10 poems published in Thomas's school magazine and two in The Herald of Wales were 'audacious rip-offs' of other authors' work.
- Many of the plagiarised poems, including 'His Repertoire', were reportedly taken 'almost verbatim' from periodicals like Boy's Own Paper.
- Gallenzi suggests Thomas's motive might have been to gain recognition and approval from his father, who taught English at his school.
- The findings, which will be included in a new edition of Thomas's poetry, are expected to 'revolutionise our thinking' about his formative years and early output.