Collected Poems of Thomas Hardy (Wordsworth Poetry) (Wordsworth Poetry Library) [Paperback]

Better known for his novels, Hardy always considered himself a poet first and foremost. And after the "un christian" reception that "Jude the Obscure" received, he decided to devote himself fully to poetry, his first love.

Much of his work relates to rural themes, and is wonderful in it's observation of both wildlife, and human nature. And no writer born before or since has possessed an eye for irony that could come near matching Hardy's.

I can't recommend Hardy's poems highly enough. I discovered them many years ago as a sixth form student who had began to doubt the wisdom of my parents and teachers in leading me down the road to Christianity. And when I discovered that Hardy had already been down the same road and expressed all of the same doubts, felt all of the same guilt etc. etc., and that he could express it in such wonderful poetry - I was reassured, amazed, absolved and made to feel a lot better about myself.

No poetry has ever meant so much to me - and almost certainly never will.

In my opinion, while admitting that, generally speaking, no one ever puts up a statue to a critic, posterity has something to thank the reviewers of "Jude" for. Instead of having yet more of Hardy's static and uninvolving prose describing the moral and physical problems of the rural Wessex townships, kind of a superior "Archers" without the silly voices, we have more of his excellent and varied poetry.

Some of the poems, particularly the war poems like "Drummer Hodge", have justly remained well known, others, such as "At Casterbridge Fair" may not be so familiar, but are equally fine. My own favourite is "Wessex Heights" a wry, sad piece that somehow manages not to be at all depressing.

Taken as a whole, the most striking thing about the poetry here is, perhaps, its modernity. The author's world weary, stoical recognition of the passage of time echoes loudly in our post-religious Twenty First Century.

Hardy's grasp of a dizzying number of poetic forms is impressive.He is (for some reason) regarded as being in the forefront of English novelists, these complete poetic works show he has, most unusually, the range and depth to be considered in the first rank of English poets too.