Formerly a prize-winning architectural student, Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) went on to become a prolific novelist and poet. Jude the Obscure caused outrage upon publication in 1895 - dubbed 'Jude the Obscene' by some, it was publicly burnt by the Bishop of Wakefield - and its negative reception induced Hardy to turn his efforts exclusively to poetry, making Jude the last novel he wrote. It is now recognised as a work of astounding literary and emotional power, a huge part of its strength lying in the uncomfortable explorations of sex, class and education that caused such outrage upon publication.
Hardy's novels Under the Greenwood Tree, Far From the Madding Crowd, The Return of the Native, Two on a Tower, The Mayor of Casterbridge and Tess of the D'Urbervilles are also published in the Penguin English Library.