Ted Hughes was born in Mytholmroyd in West Yorkshire and brought up in South Yorkshire. He began writing poetry when at school and continued at Cambridge. His first wife, Sylvia Plath, encouraged Hughes to submit his manuscript The Hawk in the Rain for a competition and it was published in 1957. He continued writing poetry in which he explored the natural world and mythical themes. He also wrote many works for children. In 1984 he was appointed Poet Laureate and during this time he formed a close friendship with Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to whom he presented a number of manuscripts and volumes of his poems. He was awarded the Order of Merit in 1998, shortly before he died.