Thomas Hardy is one of England's most talented and famous writers. He worked in the late Victorian era. The list of books by Thomas Hardy is huge, the writer enjoys success with the readership today. It is worth noting that Hardy considered himself a poet, but his name gained fame thanks to magnificent novels.
Writer Biography
Thomas Hardy was born on June 2, 1840. The birthplace of the writer was a small village, which is located near Dorchester.
The men in Thomas Hardy's family have always been builders. As a boy, the writer was brought up by his mother at home. Thomas Hardy's mother was able to read, but could not write. Seeing that the young man has a strong penchant for learning, she decided that the boy needed to get an education.
Education
It was at this time that Thomas was sent to Dochester to study at a parish school. It was very difficult at Hardy's school to meet and make new friends - the boy was too modest and quiet. After school, Tom always spent a lot of time reading various books - his mother insisted that the young man should be very well-read.
In 1856, when Tom was 16 years old, he successfully graduated from high school. Then Hardy did not stop at his development, so he entered the training of the famous and talented architect John Hicks. At the same time, Tom Hardy became interested in teaching Greek. In this he was helped by his acquaintance philologist and poet named William Barnes.
New horizons of life
For five years, Tom worked in a workshop under the guidance of an experienced architect. In 1862, the young man decided to move to London. Soon, the writer managed to enter the Royal College of London, where he continued to improve in architecture. There, Hardy received a full education and learned how to carry out the restoration of old churches.
Self-education and new knowledge
Moving to London, Hardy was fond of painting, creating his own canvases. In addition, the writer independently studied Greek and Latin. The young man daily spent several hours in the morning, after which he went to work.
In 1867, Tom Hardy returned to his homeland to begin the restoration of old churches. At the same time, he finished the first novel. Thomas Hardy showed his first book to George Meredith, who advised a novice writer not to try to publish it. Then Tom despaired and burned the manuscript.
The first steps in creativity
The second work of the writer, published anonymously in 1871, was the work "Desperate Hearts."
This time was very successful for the writer. A year before the publication of the work, Hardy met a girl who soon became his first wife and support for several difficult years.
Lovers have been together for ten years. During this time, Tom Hardy managed to rise from the bottom and become a professional writer.
Recognition and fame came to Tom after the publication of his fifth novel, called "Far from the Crazed Crowd."
Return to the native lands
In 1885, the writer accumulated enough funds to return to his homeland. There Tom built on his savings a large house for himself and his wife. The couple did not have children, so they lived together.
Since 1887, Thomas has been writing short stories. In literary circles, the name of the writer was very famous, and all the magazines that published Hardy's work paid him well for this. Soon, all the stories were published in three collections, which were called “The Group of Noble Ladies”, “Wessex Tales” and “Little Irony of Life”.
Bereavement
In 1912, Thomas Hardy suffered a heavy loss - his beloved wife dies from a heart attack. Tom, who was already aged (the writer was 72 years old), did not write anything for a long time. It is under the influence of these experiences that he writes the next book of Thomas Hardy - “Tess of the d'Herberville family”. In addition to this famous novel, Jude the Unobtrusive is published. These works were very unlike his previous works, which immediately provoked strong condemnation from various critics. After the loss, the writer began to reason only on military, rural topics.
Hardy has repeatedly been nominated for a Nobel Prize. Despite the fact that the writer greatly departed from his usual literary style, Hardy still remained very famous. In literary circles, the author was called the true heir to Dickens. In 1910, Tom was awarded the Order of Merit.
In 1913, the last collection of works by a brilliant writer was published. He received the name "Changed Man." After the release of the latest compilation, Hardy will marry a second time. With his second wife, Tom lived until his death, which occurred in 1928. The body of the writer was buried in a cemetery - in the Poets Corner in Westminster Abbey. Hardy's work belongs to the classics. His works are studied and analyzed in lectures on foreign literature in higher educational institutions.