Linocut print of Ted Hughes by Paul Peter Piech.

Ted Hughes was a poet and author of children's books, regarded as one of the greatest poets of his generation, and one of the leading writers of the twentieth century. Hughes' childhood in Yorkshire greatly influenced his work, which dealt with observations of the natural world and the detrimental effect of human presence on it. He was appointed Poet Laureate in 1984, a title which he held until his death in 1998.