Although Ted Hughes ended his days as England's
beloved poet laureate, his life was dogged by
tragedy and controversy. He never entirely
recovered from the suicide of his wife Sylvia
Plath in 1963, for which many have held his
adultery responsible. In this insightful
biography, the first written since Hughes's
death, Elaine Feinstein explores an altogether
more complex situation, throwing new light on
his relationship with his lover Assia Wevill,
who later killed herself along with their young
daughter.
Elaine Feinstein, prize-winning poet, novelist, and fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, has written biographies of D. H. Lawrence, Marina Tsvetayeva, and Alexander Pushkin. She lives in London.