By his death in 1928, Hardy was widely regarded as the most important British literary figure of his time. However, the man himself was intensely private. He kept voluminous diaries and was a committed letter-writer, but he was never comfortable with the public trappings of celebrity. Painfully aware of his rural beginnings, embarrassed by his lack of a formal education, and uncomfortable over rumors about his dysfunctional marriage, Hardy worked to hide his private life. His novels and his poetry, as prolific as he was, are seldom confessional, and seldom reveal much about his personal life.

However, “At an Inn” cannot be read without seeing elements of Hardy’s private life. Through the dilemma of his speaker, Hardy shares elements of his frustrations over his infatuation with the much younger Irish novelist and poet Florence Henniker. Hardy met Henniker at a party in Dublin in the fall of 1893. He was 53, she was 38. His marriage of more than 10 years had long since cooled into an awkwardly uncomfortable arrangement. Hardy was immediately drawn to the beautiful, articulate, and charming Henniker.

Hardy began what would become a drawn-out and frustrating pursuit, largely through correspondence, which reveals the depth of his unrequited feelings.