This volume contains six plays by Ted Hughes which are particularly suitable for performance by children. Four of them were published originally under the title, The Coming of the Kings and Other Plays. Added to these are Orpheus and The Pig Organ, the former only ever published in America, the latter (which was written as a libretto) never before published.

Hughes enters the timeless world of folklore and fable and brings home a wonderful haul, managing to produce comedy, tragedy and magic from the same net, and then to move effortlessly between them. He makes stories from familiar elements (the Nativity, or Beauty and the Beast or a quest to save a sickening king), but approaches them from unexpected angles and sets them off in different directions. What characterizes the pieces is the energy Hughes generates not only in the unfolding action but in the drama of the language itself, which is as robustly up-to-date as it is lyrical.

Ted Hughes won the 1997 Whitbread Book of the Year for "Tales of Ovid", and the 1998 Whitbread Book of the Year for "Birthday Letters". He was Poet Laureate from 1984, and was awarded the Order of Merit in 1998.

About the Author
Ted Hughes (1930-1998) was born in Yorkshire. His first book, The Hawk in the Rain, was published in 1957 by Faber & Faber and was followed by many volumes of poetry and prose for adults and children. He received the Whitbread Book of the Year for two consecutive years for his last published collections of poetry, Tales from Ovid and Birthday Letters. He was Poet Laureate from 1984, and in 1998 he was appointed to the Order of Merit. Quentin Blake is one of the best-known children's illustrators of the present day. His works include not only his own picture books but collaborations with other authors, and How Tom Beat Captain Najork and his Hired Sportsmen (winner of the Whitbread Children's Book Award) was the first of a number of books by Russell Hoban for which he has provided the illustrations.


Book Information
ISBN 9780571209576
Author Ted Hughes
Format Paperback
Page Count 144
Imprint Faber & Faber
Publisher Faber & Faber
Weight(grams) 160g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 126mm * 10mm