OBITUARY

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 89, 13 January 1928, Page 9

OBITUARY

THOMAS HARDY PASSING OF FAMOUS AUTHOR (Rec. January 12, 8.10 p.m.) London, January 11. Obituary: Thomas Hardy, the novelist. —A.P.A. and "Sun." London, January 11. Mr. Hardy died at his Dorchester home. He was in good health almost to the last,' and able to read and take an interest in the day’s news. He caught a chill in the late severe weather. The burial will take place in the family vault in the village of Stinsford, near Dorchester, immortalised as Mellstock in the novel, “Under the Greenwood Tree.’’ .His last poem appeared in “The Times" on Christmas Eve.— ’’The Times.’ ’

.The late Thomas Hardy, one of the greatest of the novelists of the later Victorian period, was born near Dorchester on June 2, 1840. He was educated for the architect’s profession, and made ins first appearance in print with an article on house-building in 1865. Gradually, however, he became absorbed in literature, and finally made it his profession. He succeeded better than most privacy-loving authors in avoiding publicity, and so tar as the general public is concerned, his history consists of the dates upon which his books have appeared. His first novel, “Desperate Remedies," was published anonymously in 1871, and gained praise from the “Athenalum’ an’d the “Spectator," In 1872 appeared his charming idyl “Under the Greenwood Tree." Mr. Frederick Greenwood, then editor of the “Cornhill Magazine,” has stated that in 1872 he was going a journey, and was struck with the title of this book by Hardy, whom he had never heard of. He bought the book, and recognised its merit at once, with the result that he sought out the author and secured “Far From the Madding Crowd” for publication in the “CornhilJ.” In the meantime, Hardy had written “A Pair of Blue Eyes" (1873). “Far From the Madding Crowd" had a large success in “Cornhill’s,” and, appearing anonymously, had the honour of being attributed to George Eliot. Thenceforth Hardy had a widening circle of warm admirers amongst the best appraisers of fiction. "The Hand of Ethelberta” followed in 1876, and then came “The Return of the Native," which was held by Dr. Robertson Nicole to be the greatest and most original of the author’s works, “the most masterly in style, and the profoundest in its apprehension of nature and character." “The Trumpet Major," "A Laodicean," “Two On a tower," “The Mayor of Casterbridge,” and "The Woodlandcrs” brought Hardy to 1887. In 1891 he published “Tess of the D’Urbervilles,” and extended his popularity to the widest boundaries of the reading public. In the early nineties, British fiction was in a poor way; the young geniuses were maturing, and tlie, old masters were just then practically silent. Accordingly, Hardy took first rank without difficulty, and strengthened his popularity with the powerful but unpleasant "Jude scure," which appeared in 1895. “The Well-Beloved" appeared in book form in 1897. "Wessex Tales” and "A Group of Noble Dames" had appeared in 1888 and 1891 respectively. Hardy was a Isa writer of poeti’y, and printed two volumes; “WesswL Poems” (1898) and “Poems of the Past anu Present” (1901). His verse is strong and rugged, little concerned with delicacy of music or phrase, .or with anything but the most complete expression of the idea he would convey. In 1910 be awarded the 0.M., which is limited in number to &