Wessex Poems

Wessex Poems is a collection of poems by English author Thomas Hardy, first published in 1898. This marked Hardy's significant public debut as a poet, though it included verses written during his earlier career as a novelist, as well as revised poems from the 1860s.1

The collection was initially perceived as varied and somewhat uneven, partly due to Hardy's own illustrations. The acceptance of his poetry was slower than his prose, as his reputation as a novelist preceded him.1

Hardy's poems are often set in Wessex, a fictionalized region representing the counties of southwestern England, which he knew intimately from his upbringing in Dorset. The poems explore a wide range of themes and forms, from lyrics and meditations to ballads and dramatic monologues.12