He wanted to capture not just live animals, but the aliveness of animals in their natural state: their wildness, their quiddity, the fox-ness of the fox and the crow-ness of the crow.” However, Hughes’s interest in animals was generally less naturalistic than symbolic. According to London Times contributor Thomas Nye, Hughes once confessed “that he began writing poems in adolescence, when it dawned upon him that his earlier passion for hunting animals in his native Yorkshire ended either in the possession of a dead animal, or at best a trapped one. Hughes’s love of animals was one of the catalysts in his decision to become a poet. This holds true for nearly all of his books, from The Hawk in the Rain to Wolfwatching (1989) and Moortown Diary (1989), two of his late collections. To read Hughes’s poetry is to enter a world dominated by nature, especially by animals. The rural landscape of Hughes’s youth in Yorkshire exerted a lasting influence on his work. Among his many awards, he was appointed to the Order of Merit, one of Britain’s highest honors. An incredibly prolific poet, translator, editor, and children’s book author, Hughes was appointed Poet Laureate in 1984, a post he held until his death.

Hughes also translated works from Classical authors, including Ovid and Aeschylus. Named executor of Plath’s literary estate, he edited several volumes of her work. With Seamus Heaney, he edited the popular anthologies The Rattle Bag (1982) and The School Bag (1997). By contrast, Hughes marshaled a language of nearly Shakespearean resonance to explore themes which were mythic and elemental.” Hughes’s long career included unprecedented best-selling volumes such as Lupercal (1960), Crow (1970), Selected Poems 1957-1981 (1982), and The Birthday Letters (1998), as well as many beloved children’s books, including The Iron Man (1968). The stereotypical poem of the time was determined not to risk too much: politely domestic in its subject matter, understated and mildly ironic in style. Shaw, “Hughes’s poetry signaled a dramatic departure from the prevailing modes of the period. Auden, and Stephen Spender, The Hawk in the Rain (1957) secured Hughes’s reputation as a poet of international stature. Awarded first prize by judges Marianne Moore, W.H. In 1956 he met and married the American poet Sylvia Plath, who encouraged him to submit his manuscript to a first book contest run by The Poetry Center. After serving as in the Royal Air Force, Hughes attended Cambridge, where he studied archeology and anthropology, taking a special interest in myths and legends.

One of the giants of 20th century British poetry, Ted Hughes was born in Mytholmroyd, Yorkshire in 1930.

The Iron Man by Ted Hughes