Discovery of letters shines light on Thomas Hardy's second marriage

Author’s second wife, Florence Dugdale, tells of celebrity pressures, and joy at living with ‘one of the kindest men in the world’

Touching newly discovered letters written by Thomas Hardy’s second wife reveal her joy at their union and, later, her sadness at life without the great author after his death – but also highlight the media pressure the celebrity couple faced more than a century ago.

In a letter written shortly after their wedding, Florence Dugdale portrayed Hardy as “one of the kindest, most humane men in the world” while acknowledging that his fame led to the constant attention of the press in the UK and US.

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