Ted Hughes

Date of Birth: August 17, 1930

Zodiac Sign: Leo

Date of Death: October 28, 1998

Biography

Ted Hughes, born Edward James Hughes, was an influential English poet and children’s writer. He was born on August 17, 1930, in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire, England. Hughes is often regarded as one of the greatest poets of his generation and served as the British Poet Laureate from 1984 until his death in 1998. His work is known for its powerful, evocative language and its exploration of the natural world, mythology, and human emotion. Hughes attended Pembroke College, Cambridge, initially studying English but later switching to archaeology and anthropology, which influenced his poetic style and subject matter. His first collection, “The Hawk in the Rain” (1957), was highly praised and won the Galbraith Prize. This was followed by a series of successful publications, including “Lupercal” (1960), “Wodwo” (1967), and “Crow” (1970). Hughes was married to the American poet Sylvia Plath, and their relationship and her subsequent suicide in 1963 have been the subject of much literary and biographical scrutiny. Despite personal tragedies, Hughes continued to write prolifically, producing works that profoundly impacted the literary world.

5 Interesting Facts about Ted Hughes

1. Ted Hughes was awarded the Order of Merit by Queen Elizabeth II shortly before his death in 1998.

2. His collection “Birthday Letters” (1998) is a series of poems about his relationship with Sylvia Plath and won the Whitbread Book of the Year Award.

3. Hughes founded the Arvon Foundation in 1968, an organization that provides creative writing courses.

4. He was a keen fisherman and much of his writing reflects his deep connection to nature and the countryside.

5. Hughes translated several classical works, including plays by Euripides and Racine’s “Phaedra.”

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Ted Hughes

1. “What happens in the heart simply happens.”

2. “The only calibration that counts is how much heart people invest, how much they ignore their fears of being hurt or caught out or humiliated.”

3. “The world rolls under the long thrust of his heel. Over the cage floor the horizons come.”

4. “Fishing provides that connection with the whole living world. It gives you the opportunity of being totally immersed, turning back into yourself in a good way.”

5. “The poetry that comes most easily to us is the poetry that we have been carrying inside us for years.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

At the height of his career, Ted Hughes’ net worth was estimated to be around $1 million.

Children

Ted Hughes had two children with Sylvia Plath: Frieda Hughes, born on April 1, 1960, and Nicholas Hughes, born on January 17, 1962. Frieda Hughes is a poet and painter, while Nicholas Hughes pursued a career in marine biology. Tragically, Nicholas Hughes took his own life in 2009.