ABSTRACT
Dannie Abse was one of the most prominent and prolific literary figures with strong associations with Wales during the second half of the twentieth century and the early part of the twenty-first century. His extensive literary work – especially poetry but also plays, novels, and memoirs – was widely read, and his poetry readings were very popular. He played significant roles in the literary lives of both Wales and London. Two features of his life gave the subject matter of his poetry distinctive characteristics. Firstly, his upbringing in a Jewish family led to his being well versed in the traditions and literature of his heritage, yet as a secular Jew, he was also aware of the paradoxes of faith in an era of the ascendancy of science. Secondly, his medical education and his extensive experiences as a practising medical doctor gave him an acute sensitivity to the fragile, bodily nature of our lives and also a heightened awareness of the limitations of scientific approaches, particularly in the alleviation of suffering. His outlook was strongly influenced by the tragedies experienced by Jewish people in twentieth-century Europe.
