Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
Robert Graves, a British writer probably best known for his World War I poetry and his historical fiction, admired Hardy. Graves even recounts meeting Hardy in his famous autobiography, Good-bye to All That (source).
Hardy actually wrote the first ever "cliffhanger." In his book, A Pair of Blue Eyes, a section ended with a character literally hanging off a cliff. Since the novel was published in serial form, readers had to wait for the next installment to see if the character survived or not. And, so, the cliffhanger was born.
Hardy is actually buried in two places. In his will, he stated that he wanted to be buried in Dorset, where he was born. But the powers that be insisted Hardy belonged in Poet's Corner in Westminster Abbey. His wife solved the dilemma by burying Hardy's heart in St. Michael's churchyard, Stinsford, Dorset, and burying his ashes in Westminster Abbey. What creative lady (source).