Library purchases letters offering 'real insight' into poet Ted Hughes

The Independent reported yesterday that poems and letters (which have never been seen by the public before) written by former Poet Laureate Ted Hughes, have been bought by the British Library.

'The letters date from 1954 to 1964 and shed light on Hughes's feelings about living in the US, life with Sylvia Plath and his opinion on other poets and writers. '

Having read Letters of Ted Hughes I realised that you do not need to know intimate biagraphical details of someone to appreciate their work. Hughes' collection Birthday Letters offered a new perspective on his relationship with Sylvia Plath but, even without knowing the publicised details of their relationship, these are extraordinary poems.