Ted Hughes

Edward James Hughes, OM, known to the world as Ted Hughes, (August 17, 1930 – October 28, 1998) was best known for writing children's literature and poetry. Born and raised in England, he served as the country's Poet Laureate from 1984 until his death in 1998. Hughes has been consistently listed by critics as one of the best poets of his generation. [1]

His childhood was calm and happy, he served his country and then attended college at University of Cambridge. There he met and married the American poet Sylvia Plath. His tumultuous marriage with Plath ended in 1963, after Plath committed suicide. The couple had two children together. Hughes remained silent about this relationship for a long time, and he sought out a quiet life with his second wife, Carol Orchard. They remained together until his death. It was only at the end of his life that Ted Hughes finally opened up about his complex relationship with Sylvia Plath, a relationship that the world was constantly speculating about, a relationship that gained him criticism and unpopularity as Sylvia became more and more iconic. His final book of poems, Birthday Letters (1998), discusses in depth his love, marriage, and heartache surrounding Plath.

Early life

Ted Hughes was the third born child of Edith Farrar and William Henry Hughes on August 17, 1930. Hughes was born and raised in the small farming community of Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire. He loved his childhood home, delighting in the scenery of barren rocks, rolling hills, and often stark landscapes. Hughes siblings, Olwyn (1928) and Gerald (1920), often explored the region together as children. Gerald, who was ten years older than Ted, would lead these expeditions, and the children would spend days hiking and camping. Gerald would spend the nights filling Ted's head with stories of Mythology and Native American lore, often referring to Mytholmroyd as a prehistoric land. Ted loved these stories and many of his sentiments about his home are illustrated in the poems he composed. According to Hughes, "My first six years shaped everything".

When Hughes was seven, his family moved to Mexborough, South Yorkshire. Here the parents ventured to open a newspaper and tobacco shop. However, the children felt uprooted and loathed the small mining town. Gerald disliked it so much that he moved away, taking a job as a gamekeeper. Ted immediately endured bouts of loneliness and sadness. He missed the adventures with his elder brother. Eventually, he struck out on his own to explore his new home and in the process he came in contact with a local farmer who lived on the edge of the town. He allowed Ted to explore his hills and fields and Ted relished in the return to nature. It was during one of his walks that Ted came face to face with a fox, this encounter was the inspiration for Ted's poem, "Thought-Fox".

Education

Once Hughes started Mexborough Grammar school, things in his new hometown began to brighten. He made friends, one boy in particular, whose family owned a large estate. Hughes often would stay entire weekends fishing and hiking on the estate. He also began to write. He loved writing comic book stories, short stories, and poetry. His English teacher was delighted with his work and often encouraged him in his writing. Because of this, Ted saw the publication of his poem, "Wild West" in the 1946 issue of the school magazine, followed by others in the subsequent years.

After graduation from high school, Ted Hughes enlisted for two years in the National Service (1949-1951). His assignment was a serene one, he was stationed as a ground mechanic at a three-man station in Yorkshire. Hughes admits that he spent his time reading and rereading Shakespeare. When the two years came to an end, Ted applied to Cambridge and was accepted.

When Ted Hughes entered Pembroke College, Cambridge in 1951, he began his studies with English, but he soon felt that the studies were hindering his writing creativity instead of improving it. Thus, he changed his course of study in 1953 to anthropology and Archaeology, although he wrote poetry in his spare time. Hughes' first major publication came during this time. In June, 1954, the university magazine, Granta, published the poem, "The Little Boys and the Seasons".

Ted graduated from Cambridge in 1954, but found himself unable to find a satisfactory profession. He worked at several odd jobs, while he wrote. Two years later, friends of Hughes decided to begin their own literary magazine, St. Botolph's Review. The magazine's first (and only) issue featured several of Hughes' poems. There was a large launch party for the magazine, and it was at this party that Sylvia Plath had come to meet Ted Hughes. She saw him and was attracted to him instantly. Plath impressed Ted with her recitation of one of his poems, showing that she was a true fan. They began a passionate two month relationship, which soon turned itself to discussions of marriage.

Marriage

Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath were married on June 16, 1956. They had the ideal honeymoon in Spain, full of love, scenic landscapes and relaxation, before setting up a home in London. It was Sylvia who typed Hughes manuscript for The Hawk in the Rain and submitted it to a competition for a book of poems by a first time author. The competition was sponsored by the Poetry Centre of the Young Man's and Young Women's Hebrew Association of New York. There were over 250 entries in the competition and judges such as W.H. Auden and others made the final decision. Hughes book of poems took the prize, which was publication in American. It was an instant success and Ted Hughes became a name in America. As soon as Sylvia had finished her Masters degree at Cambridge, the couple moved to the United States. They visited Cape Cod, but eventually settled in Boston, Massachusetts.

Sylvia was offered a teaching post at Smith College and Ted taught a semester of creative writing and the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. It was while Ted was living in America that he met one of his dearest friends, Leonard Baskin. Baskin was an accomplished artist, especially in the area of sculpting and graphic arts. This friendship brought about several creative collaborations on poetry and other arts. Together they wrote such well-known poems as Season Songs, Under the North Star and Flowers and Insects.

Both Ted and his wife decided to spend the next several months traveling and writing. They went on a camping road trip across the country, and it was during this time that Ted finished Lupercal and Sylvia wrote The Colossus. Although both wrote extensively, it was Ted Hughes who was quickly becoming popular in American society. Sylvia had a hard time accepting the fact that her own country was more accepting of her foreign husband than they ever would be of her during her lifetime. This, among other things, led her to fall into severe bouts of depression that took their toll on the marriage. Ted Hughes had known of Sylvia's battle with clinical depression, nevertheless, it became a source of hardship between the couple. Ted was uncertain how to handle Sylvia's resentment at his success in America, so in December of 1959, the couple decided to move back to England.

Upon return to England, the couple moved into a tiny flat in London and they welcomed their first child, Freida Rebecca Hughes. While adjusting to parenthood, Sylvia began writing her most famous novel, The Bell Jar and Ted wrote poetry, although most of it was rejected. It was Ted's responsibility to provide a home and income for the family, and with his poetry being rejected, he turned to writing essays, reviews, and various articles for newspapers and magazines, In addition, he also served as host for a series of radio talks for the BBC's Listening and Writing program. Hughes took a break from writing adult poetry, and began experimenting with children's stories and short poems. In 1961, his children's book, Meet My Folks was accepted for publication. At this same time, the family bought a small parsonage in Devon (Court Green, North Tawton).

By the time the couple's second child, Nicholas Farrar Hughes was born in 1962, the marriage had reached crisis status and the couple separated. Much of the frustration came from Sylvia's illness, but Ted's indiscretions also caused a large part of the problem. The couple would often associate with their married friends David and Assia Wevill. Sylvia was often jealous of how Ted and Assia seemed to flirt at every opportunity. One day Assia called the house to speak with Ted and Sylvia overheard the conversation that confirmed her worst fear. Ted and Assia were having an affair.

The couple separated, Ted and Assia moving in together, while Sylvia stayed in the country with the children, writing a poem a day. It was at this time that Sylvia produced her most famous poetry in a compilation titled, Ariel. After a few months of severe depression, Sylvia gassed herself by putting her head in the kitchen oven. She was found dead, although the children were safe in their bedroom. Sylvia had opened a window and taped up the openings of the door, so the gas wouldn't penetrate the room. Ted was devastated by her suicide. His children were motherless, and immediately the blame of her death was placed entirely upon himself and the affair with Assia.

Ted Hughes and Assia Wevill continued to live together, unmarried, and they eventually had a daughter together, Alexandra Tatiana Eloise Wevill, nicknamed Shura, who had been born on March 3, 1965. However, Assia proved to be imbalanced and insecure in their relationship, constantly telling Hughes that it was obvious that he didn't love her as much as he had loved Sylvia. The year of 1969, brought more tragic into Hughes' life. In some twisted logic, Assia killed four-year-old Shura and herself in March by first taking several pills (and having Shura do the same) and then turning on the gas of the oven and dying a similar death as Sylvia Plath. That May, Ted's mother also passed away. Again, the public world went crazy with stories of Ted Hughes, and how each women in his life killed herself. The deaths of Assia and Shura were also placed on his shoulders. It seems that Ted Hughes felt completely defeated. He retreated with Freida and Nicholas to the countryside and completely stayed out of the public realm, writing very little.

Writing Career

Ted Hughes began his writing career by taking inspiration from the nature and environments of his youth. As he matured, so did the themes of his poetry, he came to rely upon myth and the bardic tradition. Hughes' first collection, Hawk in the Rain (1957) was an instant success, attracting considerable critical acclaim. Hughes was the recipient of several prizes during his writing career, including honors from the Queen. In 1959 he also won the Galbraith prize which brought $5000. Many consider Crow (1970) to be his most significant contribution to the world of poetry. Among his personal creations, Hughes worked hard at translating foreign poetry and ancient stories, such as Tales from Ovid (1997) which illustrates Ted's ability and talent in translation.

In addition to poetry and translation, Ted Hughes wrote classical opera librettos and children's books. In fact, during the time when it was just Ted and his children, he seemed to only want to write children's stories and fables. His writings were often aimed at comforting Freida and Nick after their mother's suicide. The most well known of these is The Iron Man. This story later served as the inspiration for Pete Townshend's rock opera of the same name, and the animated film The Iron Giant.

In the last year of his life, Ted spent a considerable amount of time finishing projects started years before, recording his voice reading his own poetry, and putting together a significant compilation of his most famous works.

Later Life

A year in the countryside brought Ted Hughes into association with a local farmer and his daughter. Ted married Carol Orchard in August 1970. They had a calm, quiet life remaining in the country and farming. While in the country, Ted Hughes worked hard at publishing Sylvia's last writings, Ariel. He was the executor of Plath's personal and literary estates and did his best to edit, organize, and compile her writings. Hughes received only scorn and criticism for what he did with Sylvia's writings. He received no money from their publication, yet one critic after another accused him of changing her words, changing her intent and being untrue to what she would have wanted. It is true that Hughes did destroy Plath's last diary before she killed herself, but whether it was to protect his own image, or that of Sylvia and the children can't be known by anyone but Ted Hughes.

After the death of John Betjeman, Ted Hughes served as the Poet Laureate from 1984 until his death. He used this post to promote his strong ideals about conserving the environment. He also received the Order of Merit from Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom just before his death in 1998. Hughes published his book of poems, Birthday Letters expressing his feelings about his marriage to Sylvia Plath, a subject that he had never before discussed. Ted and Carol lived in the country together until Hughes died of cancer on October 28, 1998. A funeral was held at a church in North Tawton, and by his special wishes (and special Royal permission), he was cremated, with his ashes scattered on Dartmoor, near Cranmoor Pool.

In 2003 he was portrayed by British actor Daniel Craig in Sylvia, a biographical film of Sylvia Plath.

Bibliography

Poetry

• (1957) The Hawk in the Rain
• (1960) Lupercal
• (1967) Wodwo
• (1968) The Iron Man
• (1970) Crow
• (1977) Gaudete
• (1979) Moortown Diary
• (1979) Remains of Elmet (with photographs by Fay Godwin)
• (1986) Flowers and Insects
• (1989) Wolfwatching
• (1992) Rain-charm for the Duchy
• (1994) New Selected Poems 1957-1994
• (1997) Tales from Ovid
• (1998) Birthday Letters — winner of the 1998 Forward Poetry Prize for best collection.
• (2003) Collected Poems

Anthologies edited by Hughes

• Selected Poems of Emily Dickinson
• Selected Verse of Shakespeare
• A Choice of Coleridge's Verse
• Seneca's Oedipus
• Spring Awakening by Wedekind (translation)
• Phedre by Racine (translation)
• The Rattle Bag (edited with Seamus Heaney)
• The School Bag (edited with Seamus Heaney)
• By Heart: 101 Poems to Remember
• The Mays

Prose

• A Dancer to God
• Shakespeare and the Goddess of Complete Being
• Winter Pollen: Occasional Prose
• Difficulties of a Bridegroom
• Poetry in the Making

Books for Children

• How the Whale Became
• Meet my Folks!
• The Earth Owl and Other Moon-people
• Nessie the Mannerless Monster
• The Coming of the Kings
• The Iron Man
• Moon Whales
• Season Songs
• Under the North Star
• Ffangs the Vampire Bat and the Kiss of Truth
• Tales of the Early World
• The Iron Woman
• The Dreamfighter and Other Creation Tales
• Collected Animal Poems: Vols. 1-4
• Shaggy and Spotty

External links

• Ted Hughes website with bibliography, biographical information, essays etc
• Ted Hughes homepage by Ann Skea
• Feminist dissection of Hughes' life and poetry
• Biography of Ted Hughes

Preceded by: John Betjeman

British Poet Laureate 1984–1998

Succeeded by: Andrew Motion

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