Edward James Hughes, OM, referred to normally as Ted Hughes, (August 17, 1930 – October 28, 1998) was an English poet and children's writer. He is considered by many to be one of the best poets of his generation. Hughes was Poet Laureate in England from 1984 until his death. He was also famously married from 1956-1963 to the American poet Sylvia Plath. Plath was very depressed, and tried to commit suicide several times before finally succeeding in 1963 at the age of 30. Hughes has explored his complex relationship with Plath in his last book of poems, Birthday Letters (1998).

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

Early life

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Hughes was born on August 17, 1930 in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire and raised among the farms in the area. According to Hughes, "My first six years shaped everything." ^*. When Hughes was seven, his family moved to Mexborough, South Yorkshire, where they ran a newspaper and tobacco shop. He also had a brother, Gerald, who was ten years older than him as well as a sister, Olwyn, who was two years older than him.

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