‘Not unlike the God he complains about, Thomas Hardy’s smilingness is often in league with his sadism, and writing poetry was a way for him to plead innocent and guilty at the same time.’ Matthew Bevis on the intersection between Hardy’s life and his poems: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Matthew Bevis · I prefer my mare: Hardy’s Bad Behaviour

Not unlike the God he complains about, Thomas Hardy’s smilingness is often in league with his sadism, and writing...