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Poet Simon Armitage talks about reading Hughes as a child and, later, finding an unexpected tenderness the poet's work.

Poet Simon Armitage talks about reading Ted Hughes as a child and, later, finding an unexpected in tenderness the poet's work. This essay includes a close reading of Hughes's poem Full Moon and Little Frieda.

Ted Hughes died in 2018, and we are still arguing about his legacy. In a new series of the Radio 3 Essay, leading poets bring a sharp eye to the poems themselves, reminding us why Hughes is regarded as one of the 20th-century's greatest writers, and exploring how the works match up to, inform and contradict what we know of the man.

Recorded before a live audience at the 大象传媒's Contains Strong Language Festival in Hull in 2018.

Written and read by Simon Armitage.
Produced by Simon Richardson.

Available now

14 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Fri 26 Oct 2018 22:45
  • Fri 8 Oct 2021 22:45

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Download The Essay

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