| One of the most important poets of the
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| | Plath assisted him with the preparation
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| post-war period, Edward James Hughes
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| | of his first collection, The Hawk in the
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| (1930-1998), was drawn towards the
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| | Rain (1957), a work that was quite
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| primitive. He was enchanted by the beauty
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| | extraordinary in its treatment of natural
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| of the natural world, frequently
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| | subjects. He continued to live in America
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| portraying its cruel and savage
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| | for the next few years, being partly
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| temperament in his work as a reflection
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| | supported by a Guggenheim Foundation
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| of his own personal suffering and
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| | grant, before returning to England in
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| mystical beliefs - convinced that modern
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| | 1959. He then went on to win the Somerset
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| man had lost touch with the primordial
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| | Maugham award and the Hawthornden prize
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| side of his nature.
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| | for his second book, "Luperca"l (1960);
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| Born in Mytholmroyd, a remote mill town
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| | confirming his reputation as one of the
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| in West Yorkshire, Ted (as he was known
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| | most important poets of the post-war
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| to his friends and family) was enormously
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| | period.
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| affected by the desolate moorland
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| | The next few years of Ted's life have
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| landscape of his childhood, and also by
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| | since become the subject of much
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| his father's vivid recollections of the
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| | biographical speculation. However, the
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| brutality of trench warfare. Indeed, his
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| | simple facts are that he and Plath had
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| father, who was then a carpenter, was one
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| | two children and moved to Devon in 1961.
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| of only seventeen men from his regiment
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| | Their marriage began to disintegrate
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| to have survived at Gallipoli during the
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| | shortly thereafter and Hughes started an
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| First World War.
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| | affair with Assia Wevill. He split from
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| At the age of seven his family moved to
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| | Plath and she committed suicide in her
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| Mexborough (also in Yorkshire), where his
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| | London flat in 1963. In 1969 Wevill also
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| parents opened a stationery and tobacco
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| | killed herself and their child. He
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| shop. Here he attended the local grammar
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| | married Carol Orchard in 1970 and spent
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| school, where he first began to write
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| | the rest of his life trying to protect
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| poetry - usually bloodcurdling verses
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| | his and Plath's children from the media.
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| about Zulus and cowboys - before doing
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| | Hughes published only children's poetry
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| two years' national service in the Royal
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| | and prose in the years following the
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| Air Force. He later won a scholarship to
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| | death of his first wife.
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| Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he
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| | His next major work was "Wodwo" (1967),
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| started reading English Literature but
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| | which took its title from a character in
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| switched to archaeology and anthropology,
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| | the medieval romance "Sir Gawain and the
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| subjects that were a major influence on
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| | Green Knight", and highlighted his
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| the development of his poetic awareness.
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| | increasing interest in mythology. He
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| Here he immersed himself in the works of
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| | travelled to Iran in 1971, where he wrote
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| Shakespeare, W.B. Yeats and read Robert
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| | the verse/drama "Orghast" in an invented
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| Graves's "The White Goddess" (1948).
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| | language. Some of his other collections
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| Following his graduation in 1954, he
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| | include "Crow" (1970), "Cave Birds"
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| moved to London, where he had a number of
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| | (1975), "Season Songs" (1976), "Gaudete"
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| interesting jobs, including zoo keeping,
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| | (a long poem on fertility rites, 1977),
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| gardening and script reading for J.
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| | "Moortown" (1979), "Remains of Elmet"
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| Arthur Rank. He also had several of his
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| | (1979) and "River" (1983).
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| poems published in university magazines.
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| | Hughes was also one of the originators of
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| In 1956 he and some Cambridge friends
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| | the Arvon Foundation and was awarded an
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| started up a literary journal called St.
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| | OBE in 1977. In 1984 he was appointed
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| Botolph's Review. It lasted for only one
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| | Poet Laureate and went on to publish
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| issue but at the inaugural party Ted met
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| | "Rain-Charm for the Duchy and other
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| his future wife, the then unknown
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| | Laureate Poems" (1992). Then in 1995 he
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| American poet, Sylvia Plath.
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| | composed a poem about Elizabeth, the
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| Much has been written about the Hughes
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| | Queen Mother, for her 95th birthday,
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| Plath relationship since that first
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| | likening her to a six-rooted tree. He
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| portentous meeting, but few can doubt
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| | also wrote many reviews and essays, some
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| that these two brilliantly creative
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| | of which were collected in "Shakespeare
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| people were enormously attracted to one
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| | and the Goddess of Complete Being"
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| another, almost from the moment they were
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| | (1992), "A Dancer to God: Tribute to T.S.
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| first introduced. Within just a few short
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| | Eliot" (1992) and "Winter Pollen:
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| months they were married and living in
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| | Occasional Prose" (1994). In addition to
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| the USA, where Hughes taught English and
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| | all this he also wrote many wonderful
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| creative writing at the University of
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| | plays and books for children, including
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| Massachusetts in Amherst. And before the
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| | his remarkable fantasy "The Iron Man".
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| year was out, he had won an American
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| | And when, just months before his death,
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| poetry competition, judged by W.H. Auden,
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| | Hughes released "Birthday Letters", a
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| Sir Stephen Spender and Marianne Moore.
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| | collection of poems about his life with
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| Hughes once said of this contented
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| | Sylvia Plath, it became an immediate
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| period:
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| | bestseller throughout the English
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| "We would write poetry every day. It was
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| | speaking world and was widely praised for
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| all we were interested in, all we ever
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| | its searing honesty.
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| did." - Ted Hughes
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