Thomas Hardy is not the man he appears to be. Combining radical instincts, a hatred of hypocrisy, poetic brilliance and a deep sense of the tragic basis of life, Hardy had a quiet external appearance but internally was a man of seething, gloomy darkness. The author of a series of a brilliant novels, many of which have been made into successful feature films - Tess of the D'Urbevilles, Far from the Madding Crowd and Jude the Obscure - Hardy later in life became a great poet.