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Thomas Hardy was born on 2 June 1840. His father was a stonemason. He was brought up near Dorchester and trained as an architect. In 1868 his work took him to St Juliot's church in Cornwall where he met his wife-to-be, Emma. His first novel, The Poor Man and the Lady, was rejected by publishers but Desperate Remedies was published in 1871 and this was rapidly followed by Under the Greenwood Tree (1872), A Pair of Blue Eyes (1873) and Far from the Madding Crowd (1874). He also wrote many other novels, poems and short stories. Tess of the D'Urbervilles was published in 1891. His final novel was Jude the Obscure (1895). Hardy was awarded the Order of Merit in 1920 and the gold medal of the Royal Society of Literature in 1912. His wife died in 1912 and he later married his secretary. Thomas Hardy died 11 January 1928.
Vital, passionate, spirited - from the moment Bathsheba appears she is beguiling. You can denounce her faults - she's selfish and capricious - but it's hard not to admire her determined independence -- Di Speirs (executive producer of readings at the BBC) * Independent * Hardy's warmest and most enchanting novel * Daily Express * Hardy's Far from the Madding Crowd is the most romantic book I have ever read. I love the line where he says: ""Whenever you look up, there I shall be - and whenever I look up there will be you."" It is very simple and understated, but also incredibly romantic -- Liz Jensen * Independent * Hardy expounds on his favourite themes: misunderstandings, missed opportunities, unrequited love and fatal omissions * Sunday Times * The age-old dilemma - mind-blowing passion versus a man who knows how to put up shelves * Independent *
