Mayor of Casterbridge. Thomas Hardy. 2012.

From the stunning opening wife-selling scene (at one time a not uncommon phenomenon in England) to the final playing out of his tragedy, Michael Henchard proves to be violent, selfish, greedy and crude. At the same time he possesses magnanimity, humility and a grandeur of passion that echoes Shakespeare - a comparison that always pleased Hardy.

Whatever his sins, Henchard impresses the reader with his robustness and life-force, and with his refusal to by-pass life’s possibilities. In depicting a man who overreaches the limits, Hardy once again demonstrates his uncanny psychological grasp and his deeply rooted knowledge of nineteenth century Dorset.