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Thomas Hardy is one of the most beloved and most-read British authors. His influence on literature and the minds of his readers is singular. But how is it that the novelist who created some of the most memorable and modern female characters in literature had such troubled relationships with real women?

In this highly innovative book, acclaimed biographer Paula Byrne re-examines Hardy’s life through the eyes of the women who made him – mother, sisters, girlfriends, wives, and muses. The story veers from shocking scenes such as his obsession with the sight of a woman hanged, to poignant vignettes of unfulfilled passion, to fascinating details of working women’s lives in the nineteenth century.

Hardy Women is the story of how the magnificent fictional women he invented would not have been possible without the hardship and hardiness of the real ones who shaped his passions and his imagination. It is only through understanding and witnessing these hardy women that we can truly enter the heart of this great novelist and poet.

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Tess, a feminist vision of Thomas Hardy's classic novel

From 31/01/2024 until 24/06/2024
All day event

In the Footsteps of Thomas Hardy

On 12/05/2024
Starts 14:00 until 16:00

Thomas Hardy Society Birthday Weekend

From 01/06/2024 until 02/06/2024
Starts 11:00 until 20:00

The 26th International Thomas Hardy Conference and Festival

From 27/07/2024 until 03/08/2024
Starts 09:00 until 20:00

THS Poetry Competition

May2024

Say No to 4000 homes in Dorchester

Apr2024

Say No to

Apr2024

Campaigners against 4,000 new homes

Apr2024