Ted Hughes (1930–1998) was born in Mytholmroyd, a milltown in Yorkshire. The experience of growing up in a milltown shaped the unsentimental and often violent view of life that Hughes expresses in his poetry; his dialect, native to the West Riding area of Yorkshire, establishes the vocabulary and tone in his poetry. Another vital influence on Hughes's verse was his early introduction to the poetry of D. H. Lawrence. In 1954, Hughes earned a bachelor's degree at Cambridge, where he studied anthropology, mythology, and folklore. While at Cambridge, he met the American poet Sylvia Plath, whom he married in 1956. In 1957, Hughes published his first volume of poetry, The Hawk in the Rain, which won immediate critical acclaim. The volume introduced readers to many of the themes characteristic of his work, primarily the violence found in nature and in legend. His second volume, Lupercal, was published in 1960. Subsequent volumes include Wodwo, a collection of stories, verse, and prose poems; Crow; Selected Poems: 1957–1967; Season Songs; Cave Birds; Moortown; Under the North Star (poems for children); What Is the Truth?; and Birthday Letters. Hughes also published stories and plays. Considered one of the most individual poetic voices in England since Dylan Thomas, Hughes was appointed poet laureate in 1984.