Ted Hughes was born on the 17th of august 1930 in Mytholmroyd in west Yorkshire. As a child Hughes spent a lot of time with his brother on the moors shooting birds. This early experience with animals gave hive a thematic base which is evident in his poems, while his West Yorkshire accent has given him a rhythm that is also evident in his poems. .
At the age of seven, Ted's family moved to Mexborough which was a coal mining town in South Yorkshire. Here his parents had a newsagent's and tobacco shop. Here he grew up in the company of the sons of miners and railway men until he won an open exhibition in English to Pembroke College. He first did two years national service though as an RAF ground wireless mechanic. Here he spent most of his time reading Shakespeare.
When he finally got to Cambridge he did not want to stay with the English course and changed to anthropology and archeology, possibly a remaining interest in the natural world left over from his early childhood.
Hughes graduated in 1954 but worked as a rose gardener and night watchmen and was even e reader for J. Arthur Rank, a film organization. .
In 1954 Hughes married Sylvia Plath. They spent that summer touring France and Spain.
Hughes then moved on to teaching when he got back to Cambridge until his first book, The Hawk in the Rain, was released in 1957 and helped establish him as a unique and promising writer. This book won the New York Poetry Centre's First Publication Award, while his next book, Lupercal, was released in 1960.
1962 brought about the separation of Ted and Sylvia which culminated in Sylvia's suicide in 1963. This effected Hughes greatly although he refused to speak publicly about it. After this he released a series of children's books before releasing another book, Wodwo, and later: Crow.
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