Includes bibliographical references (pages 237-243) and index.

"How was Ted Hughes's poetry affected by the life and death of Sylvia Plath? What is the importance of his early life on the Yorkshire moors with his elder brother, a life that he called Paradise? Why did he not complete the 'saga' of Crow? What is the mysterious 'single adventure' of Wodwo? How did Hughes work with collaborators such as Peter Brook, Fay Godwin and Leonard Baskin? How important was his work as children's writer and translator? What was he trying to do as Poet Laureate? How did writing Birthday Letters affect his attitude to his life and career? Neil Roberts attempts to answer these and many other questions by a close study of Hughes's poetic development and reference to unpublished letters and drafts. A must for all students and scholars of the poet."--BOOK JACKET.

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