The Life of Thomas Hardy (Blackwell Critical Biographies)

Rating:
Summary: THE WRITER AND THE MAN
Review: A wealth of information! A fantastic book for anyone who loves Hardy's poems, short stories or novels and wants to know more about the man behind the pen. Much of the book's merit is in its lay-out. Each in the series of thirty-two chapters relates to a single work providing a wealth of penetrating insights into both biographical and literary facts (Hardy's passion for Greek tragedy, Latin poetry, Shakespeare, his interest in architecture and work as an architect, his marriage) - and how closely these were intertwined. Throughout the book there is a compelling sense of how compulsively Hardy the man worked to develop the extraordinarily creativity of Hardy the writer. A wide ranging and scholarly book that is wonderfully informative and never, ever dull.