Thomas Hardy was one of the greatest Victorian novelists. He was born in 1840 in Dorset, England and spent his childhood in the countryside, which influenced his writing. His most famous novels include Far From the Madding Crowd, Tess of the d'Urbervilles, and Jude the Obscure. Hardy wrote about the struggles of the working class and conflicts between rural and urban life. He was skilled at character development and populated his novels with complex characters from rural Wessex. Hardy's realistic style had a large impact on future generations of writers. He died in 1928 and his ashes are buried in Westminster Abbey.