The essential Hardy

Extraordinary claims for a dead poet are best made on the basis of his entire oeurve; as we are perusing only some of Thomas Hardy's work, we may dodge the temptation. Suffice it to say that he is one of the very few poets who, under minimal scrutiny, easily escape the past. What helps his escape is obviously the content of his poems: they are simply extraordinarily interesting to read. And to reread, since their texture is often pleasure-resistant. That was his whole gamble, and he won.