Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy was an English novelist and poet born on June 2, 1840, in Dorset, England. He is best known for his keen observations of rural life and his complex characters, often set against the backdrop of the changing social landscape of the Victorian era. Hardy's works, including classics like "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" and "Jude the Obscure," explore themes of fate, love, and the struggles of the individual against societal norms. His writing style is marked by its vivid descriptions and an underlying sense of melancholy, reflecting the challenges of the human condition.

Although Hardy initially gained fame as a novelist, he later turned his talents to poetry, producing a substantial body of work that resonates with readers even today. His insightful commentary on life, nature, and the human experience invites listeners to reflect and ponder alongside his characters. If you’re curious about Hardy’s exploration of life's complexities, we invite you to delve into his books available in the app and discover the beauty of his storytelling for yourself.

The Return of the Native

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Like all of Hardy's work, The Return of the Native (1878) is passionate and controversial, with themes and sympathies beyond what a good Vic…

The Return of the Native (version 2 dramatic reading)

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Clym Yeobright returns home to Egdon Heath, a scattered collection of houses on the isolated Wessex moors, and is caught up in a "love …

The Romantic Adventures of a Milkmaid

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A milkmaid, Margery, encounters a mysterious foreigner and perhaps prevents him from committing suicide. In gratitude, the man offers her an…

Jude the Obscure

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Jude the Obscure is the last of Thomas Hardy's novels, begun as a magazine serial and first published in book form in 1895. Its hero Jude Fa…

The Mayor of Casterbridge

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The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886) is a tragic novel by English author Thomas Hardy subtitled, "The Life and Death of a Man of Character&…

A Group of Noble Dames

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The pedigrees of our county families, arranged in diagrams on the pages of county histories, mostly appear at first sight to be as barren of…

The Woodlanders

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The story takes place in a small woodland village called Little Hintock, and concerns the efforts of an honest woodsman, Giles Winterborne, …

The Two Wives

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LibriVox volunteers bring you 13 recordings of The Two Wives by Thomas Hardy.This was the Weekly Poetry project for October 15, 2023. ---…

A Wet Night

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LibriVox volunteers bring you 13 recordings of A Wet Night by Thomas HardyThis was the Weekly Poetry project for August 31, 2025. ------T…

When I set out for Lyonnesse

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LibriVox volunteers bring you 12 recordings of When I set out for Lyonnesse by Thomas Hardy.This was the Weekly Poetry project for August 22…

To Flowers From Italy In Winter

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LibriVox volunteers bring you 13 recordings of To Flowers From Italy In Winter by Thomas Hardy.This was the Weekly Poetry project for July …

Song of the Soldiers' Wives

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Song of the Soldiers' Wives is a poignant poem by Thomas Hardy that captures the emotional landscape of women left behind as their husbands …

Middle Age Enthusiasms

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Thomas Hardy, OM was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novel…

The Mayor of Casterbridge (version 3)

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In a fit of drunkenness, Michael Henchard sells his wife and baby daughter to the highest bidder at a country fair. He lives with regret and…

A Commonplace Day

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LibriVox volunteers bring you 14 recordings of A Commonplace Day by Thomas Hardy.This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for February 27, 2…

A Night in November

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LibriVox volunteers bring you 27 recordings of A Night in November by Thomas Hardy.This was the Weekly Poetry project for November 12, 2025.…

A Backward Spring

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LibriVox volunteers bring you 22 recordings of A Backward Spring by Thomas Hardy.This was the Weekly Poetry project for March 19, 2023. …

Poems of the Past and the Present

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Poems of the Past and the Present is the second collection of poems by Thomas Hardy published in 1901. It is divided into 5 sections, War Po…

The Oxen

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LibriVox volunteers bring you seven different recordings of The Oxen, by Thomas Hardy. This was the weekly poetry project for the week of De…

The House of Hospitalities

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LibriVox volunteers bring you 14 recordings of The House of Hospitalities by Thomas Hardy.This was the Weekly Poetry project for December 13…

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