Ted Hughes

Ted Hughes
OM OBE FRSL
Hughes in later life
Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom
In office
28 December 1984 – 28 October 1998
MonarchElizabeth II
Preceded byJohn Betjeman
Succeeded byAndrew Motion
Personal details
Born(1930-08-17)17 August 1930
Mytholmroyd, Yorkshire, England
Died28 October 1998(1998-10-28) (aged 68)
London, England
Spouses
  • (m. 1956; died 1963)
  • Carol Orchard
    (m. 1970)
Domestic partner(s)Assia Wevill
(1962–1969)
Children
Alma materPembroke College, Cambridge
OccupationPoet, playwright, writer

Edward James "Ted" Hughes OM OBE FRSL (17 August 1930 – 28 October 1998)[1] was an English poet, translator, and children's writer. Critics frequently rank him as one of the best poets of his generation and one of the twentieth century's greatest writers. He was appointed Poet Laureate in 1984 and held the office until his death. In 2008, The Times ranked Hughes fourth on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945".

He married fellow poet Sylvia Plath, an American, in 1956. They lived together in the United States and then in England, in what was known as a tumultuous relationship. They had two children before separating in 1962. Plath ended her own life in 1963.

  1. ^ Mackinnon, Lachlan (30 October 1998). "Obituary: Ted Hughes". The Independent. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2019.