Dr Oliver Tearle selects some of the best Thomas Hardy poems
Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) is acclaimed worldwide as one of the best Victorian novelists, but his poetry is often eclipsed by his achievement in the realm of fiction. Still, of the hundreds of poems that comprise Hardy’s Collected Poems, there are a few favourites that are much-loved and widely anthologised. Here’s our pick of the ten best Thomas Hardy poems – often a difficult list to draw up. But if you haven’t read much of Hardy’s poetry before, we hope this selection offers a nice way in to the weighty tome that is his Complete Poems. The poems are not arranged in any preferential order, as choosing one ‘best poem’ proved too difficult. Are you a fan of Hardy’s poetry, and which would you name as his best poem(s)?