In Hardy's first masterpiece, he explores themes common to many of his works, including the conflicts between steady devotion and flaring passion. Though tragic, this novel is laced with fine comic observation, and presents a rich portrait of rustic, 19th-century British life. A Cover to Cover unabridged classic.
Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) is one of the few writers to succeed as both a major novelist and a poet. He is the author of The Return of the Native, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, and Jude the Obscure. Several of his novels have been made into films, notably Far from the Madding Crowd (Schlesinger, 1967) and Tess (Polanski, 1979).
Stephen Thorne trained at RADA and then joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. He has appeared on many stages in England, and he has worked extensively in radio drama productions as well as documentaries, poetry recitals, and school programs.