--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I did know Ted Hughes and I partly wrote…" description: "\"I did know Ted Hughes and I partly wrote the book to explain to myself and others the complexities of a marriage that was for six years wonderfully pro..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53b/anne-stevenson-19324_book_i-did-know-ted-hughes-and-i-partly-wrote_418711.jpg" --- # I did know Ted Hughes and I partly wrote the book to… ![“I did know Ted Hughes and I partly wrote the book to explain to myself and others the complexities of a marriage that was for six years wonderfully productive of poetry and then ended in tragedy.” quote by Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53b/anne-stevenson-19324_book_i-did-know-ted-hughes-and-i-partly-wrote_418711.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53b/anne-stevenson-19324_book_i-did-know-ted-hughes-and-i-partly-wrote_418711.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53b/anne-stevenson-19324_book_i-did-know-ted-hughes-and-i-partly-wrote_418711.jpg) > “I did know Ted Hughes and I partly wrote the book to explain to myself and others the complexities of a marriage that was for six years wonderfully productive of poetry and then ended in tragedy.” [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Explores the complex, productive, and tragic nature of a six‑year marriage through poetic collaboration. **In simple terms:** A marriage can be both creatively fruitful and painful. Key Takeaway Recognize both joy and sorrow in close partnerships. Themes marriage creativity tragedy collaboration Mood reflective melancholic Type personal analytical When to use this quote - writing a memoir - discussing artistic collaborations - teaching about creative unions Key Concepts poetry relationship dynamics artistic partnership Questions to Reflect On - How did poetry shape the marriage? - What lessons arise from its ending? A Different Perspective May overlook the individual’s agency within the partnership. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Complexities Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexities-marriage-3716041/) [Complexity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexity/) [Hughes Partly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hughes-partly-3716040/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Partly Wrote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/partly-wrote-3716039/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poetry Ended](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-ended-3716042/) [Productive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productive/) [Six](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/six/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ted-hughes-1645924/) [Tragedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragedy/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [Ted Hughes is dead. That's a fact, OK. Then there's something called the poetry of Ted Hughes. The poetry of Ted Hughes is more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/ted-hughes-is-dead-that-s-a-fact-ok-then-there-s-something-called-the/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [There is no one more deserving of a place in Poets' Corner. Ted Hughes introduced a new kind of landscape into English poetry. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/there-is-no-one-more-deserving-of-a-place-in-poets-corner-ted-hughes/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [When I was about 14, in about 1984, I decided to become a great poet. Faber & Faber was going to publish me, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/when-i-was-about-14-in-about-1984-i-decided-to-become-a-great-poet/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [Ted Hughes has been appointed poet laureate to succeed Sir John Betjeman, which is a bit like appointing a grim young crow to replace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-howard-20th-earl-of-arundel/ted-hughes-has-been-appointed-poet-laureate-to-succeed-sir-john/) [Philip Howard, 20th Earl of Arundel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-howard-20th-earl-of-arundel/) > [We're all complex human beings, and if some of that complexity shows through, I think it's advantageous for the movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-de-bont/we-re-all-complex-human-beings-and-if-some-of-that-complexity-shows/) [Jan de Bont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-de-bont/) > [Show me a person without prejudice of any kind on any subject and I'll show you someone who may be admirably virtuous but is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-lacy/show-me-a-person-without-prejudice-of-any-kind-on-any-subject-and-i/) [Allen Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-lacy/) > [As we get more transparent with data sets about infrastructure and systems management, I have a feeling we'll see big changes in how we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-koblin/as-we-get-more-transparent-with-data-sets-about-infrastructure-and/) [Aaron Koblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-koblin/) > [Calvin: The more you know, the harder it is to take decisive action. Once you are informed, you start seeing complexities and shades of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/calvin-the-more-you-know-the-harder-it-is-to-take-decisive-action/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [I've realized that life is indeed full of contradictions. Sometimes its crazy to be sane.You need to fall to fly. People suffer because you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-realized-that-life-is-indeed-full-of-contradictions-sometimes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We're in this strange age where we can't say 'I love you,' at least not sincerely. It's something where, if you simplify it, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoffer-boe/we-re-in-this-strange-age-where-we-can-t-say-i-love-you-at-least-not/) [Christoffer Boe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoffer-boe/) > [The complexity increases exponentially when you try and combine two companies that both need to be restructured in their own right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-waitt/the-complexity-increases-exponentially-when-you-try-and-combine-two/) [Ted Waitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-waitt/) > [ \[In science any model depends on a pre-chosen taxonomy\] a set of classifications into which we divide the enormous complexity of the real world...… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/in-science-any-model-depends-on-a-pre-chosen-taxonomy-a-set-of/) [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) > [Being actors we are dealing with the beauty and complexity of human confusion, no? And we are always trying to get answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-cruz/being-actors-we-are-dealing-with-the-beauty-and-complexity-of-human/) [Penelope Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-cruz/) > [From the 1990s onward, the financial sector created a vast array of instruments designed to separate investors from their money, financial derivatives of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-casti/from-the-1990s-onward-the-financial-sector-created-a-vast-array-of/) [John L. Casti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-casti/) > [Programmers are always surrounded by complexity; we cannot avoid it… If our basic tool, the language in which we design and code our programs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/programmers-are-always-surrounded-by-complexity-we-cannot-avoid-it-if/) [Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/) ## More by Anne Stevenson > [Yes, I do often write poems from the mind, but I hope I don't ignore feelings and emotions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/yes-i-do-often-write-poems-from-the-mind-but-i-hope-i-don-t-ignore/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [I have always made my own rules, in poetry as in life - though I have tried of late to cooperate more with my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/i-have-always-made-my-own-rules-in-poetry-as-in-life-though-i-have/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [I write, or used to write, to explain to myself situations I couldn't otherwise solve or understand. Meditation comes very naturally to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/i-write-or-used-to-write-to-explain-to-myself-situations-i-couldn-t/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [Sylvia Plath was just a month and a half older than I, and when she committed suicide I was only 30 - and very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/sylvia-plath-was-just-a-month-and-a-half-older-than-i-and-when-she/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [Each word bears its weight, so you have to read my poems quite slowly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/each-word-bears-its-weight-so-you-have-to-read-my-poems-quite-slowly/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [Blake has always been a favorite, the lyrics, not so much the prophetic books, but I suppose Yeats influenced me more as a young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/blake-has-always-been-a-favorite-the-lyrics-not-so-much-the-prophetic/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [A poem might be defined as thinking about feelings - about human feelings and frailties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/a-poem-might-be-defined-as-thinking-about-feelings-about-human/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [I married a young Englishman in Cambridge in 1955 and have lived in Britain every since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/i-married-a-young-englishman-in-cambridge-in-1955-and-have-lived-in/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [You've got criminal courts and child welfare officials refusing to do their jobs and protect children so they can shift the cases over to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/you-ve-got-criminal-courts-and-child-welfare-officials-refusing-to-do/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [There comes a time when you have to trust your own judgment, when you must close your eyes and let your instinct rule you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/there-comes-a-time-when-you-have-to-trust-your-own-judgment-when-you/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [A hobbyhorse can be a tiring ride for nonenthusiasts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/a-hobbyhorse-can-be-a-tiring-ride-for-nonenthusiasts/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [Mind led body to the edge of the precipice. They stared in desire at the naked abyss. If you love me, said mind, take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/mind-led-body-to-the-edge-of-the-precipice-they-stared-in-desire-at/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [Blackbirds are the cellos of the deep farms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/blackbirds-are-the-cellos-of-the-deep-farms/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [I'm not really quiet or shy. Ask any of my friends! But I always ground my poetry in life itself. Poetry is an art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/i-m-not-really-quiet-or-shy-ask-any-of-my-friends-but-i-always-ground/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [The sea is as near as we come to another world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/the-sea-is-as-near-as-we-come-to-another-world/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) [Explore all 33 Anne Stevenson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I did know Ted Hughes and I partly wrote the book to explain to myself and others the complexities of a marriage that was for six years wonderfully productive of poetry and then ended in tragedy.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anne Stevenson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/i-did-know-ted-hughes-and-i-partly-wrote-the-book-to-explain-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/i-did-know-ted-hughes-and-i-partly-wrote-the-book-to-explain-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53b/anne-stevenson-19324_book_i-did-know-ted-hughes-and-i-partly-wrote_418711.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53b/anne-stevenson-19324_book_i-did-know-ted-hughes-and-i-partly-wrote_418711.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53b/anne-stevenson-19324_book_i-did-know-ted-hughes-and-i-partly-wrote_418711.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I did know Ted Hughes and I partly wrote the book to explain to myself and others the complexities of a…” — Anne Stevenson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anne Stevenson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I did know Ted Hughes and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/i-did-know-ted-hughes-and-i-partly-wrote-the-book-to-explain-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/i-did-know-ted-hughes-and-i-partly-wrote-the-book-to-explain-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```