Ted Hughes

Ted Hughes was born on 17 August 1930 in Mytholmroyd, a small mill town in West Yorkshire. His father made portable wooden buildings. The family moved to Mexborough, a coal-mining town in South Yorkshire, when Hughes was seven. His parents took over a newsagent and tobacconist shop, and eventually he went to the local grammar school.

In 1948 Hughes won an Open Exhibition to Pembroke College, Cambridge. Before going there, he served two years National Service in the Royal Air Force. Between leaving Cambridge and becoming a teacher, he worked at various jobs, finally as a script-reader for Rank at their Pinewood Studios.

In 1956 Hughes married the American poet Sylvia Plath, who died in 1963, and they had two children. He remarried in 1970. He was awarded the OBE in 1977, created Poet Laureate in December 1984 and appointed to the Order of Merit in 1998. He died in October 1998.

 

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Featured Books, with extracts by Ted Hughes

The Iron Man
Ted Hughes
A stunning new version of a much-loved children's classic with stunning and unusual illustations from Laura Carlin. Part modern fairy tale, part science fiction myth, The Iron Man describes the unexpected arrival in England of a mysterious giant "metal man"...
Featured in: 7+ readers | 9+ readers | Ebooks
Format: Hardback - Released: 01/11/2010
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Collected Poems For Children
Ted Hughes
Age 5+. An essential poetry collection for children of all ages that brings together the poems that Ted Hughes wrote for children throughout his life. The text is complemented by some completely stunning illustrations by Raymond Briggs. Divided according to...
Featured in: 5+ readers | Poetry
Format: Paperback - Released: 06/03/2008
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Collected Poems For Children
Ted Hughes
Written by Ted Hughes and illustrated by Raymond Briggs (The Snowman) this beautiful collection has been specially arranged to start with poems for younger readers and progress to the more complex and sophisticated for older children. Ted Hughes, a former Poet...
Featured in: 5+ readers
Format: Hardback - Released: 26/10/2005
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The Iron Man
Ted Hughes
One of the greatest modern fairy stories, this tells of the strange giant Iron Man who appears from nowhere and begins a reign of terror throughout the countryside as he smashes up the farmers’ tractors and diggers. How the farmers...
Featured in: 7+ readers | 9+ readers | Books for Boys | Ebooks | Reluctant Readers
Format: Paperback - Released: 29/04/2005
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How the Whale became and other stories
Ted Hughes
First published 25 years ago, this book by the Poet Laureate is now regarded as a classic of its kind. It includes 11 stories of what happened to a number of animals, including the owl, whale, polar bear, and the...
Featured in: 5+ readers
Format: Paperback (b Format) - Released: 20/05/1990
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