R.S. Thomas's four autobiographies (four memoiressays, really) were written in Welsh, and the most substantial of the four - first published in Wales a dozen years ago - was titled Neb, which means 'nobody': as in 'a nobody' or 'nobody very special'. And this fits with our uncertain view of Thomas these past four decades. Has this poet been too humble? Or has he been too proud? Is he to be admired for self-effacement or chastised for self-absorption? Over the years, Thomas has asked himself such questions many times, and his replies have been as non-definite as ours.

LRB 3 July 1997 | PDF Download