Thomas Hardy - some facts

Hardy
Thomas Hardy
  • Thomas Hardy, (1840-1928) was a notable English novelist.
  • He was born in Dorsetshire.
  • Thomas Hardy studied architecture and practiced his profession for some years, but since 1873 has devoted his time to literature.
  • Among Hardy's best known novels may be mentioned For from the Madding Crowd, The Return of the Native, Two on a Tower, Tess of the D'Urbermlles, The Three Wayfarers, and Under the Greenwood Tree.
  • Hardy is recognized as one of the foremost English novelists.
  • Hardy's poetry, first published in his fifties, had a significant influence over modern English poetry.
  • A few of his poems, such as The Blinded Bird, expose his love of the natural world and his firm stance against animal cruelty.
  • A number of prominent composers, including Benjamin Britten, Gerald Finzi, and Gustav Holst, have set poems by Hardy to music.