Author Description

It has been said that both of Thomas Hardy's wives were livelier letter writers than he was himself. They were certainly less discreet, especially on the subject of their marital grievances. Michael Millgate has brought together a meticulously edited and fully annotated selection of the letters of Emma and Florence Hardy. As a result, Hardy's intensely private life and personality are uniquely illuminated by the two women who knew him best. In particular, Florence Hardy's letters constitute a remarkable record of literary marriage, reflecting fully and poignantly both the rewards and, especially, the costs of being (as her Times obituary put it) the "helpmate of genius."