Ted Hughes was an English poet and author who lived during the 20th century and whose life was shaped by the social, political, and philosophical shifts of the era. He is best known for his children’s stories and poetry, and he was given the title of Poet Laureate in 1984. Hughes’s poetry frequently used imagery and symbolism from nature to communicate broader truths about human beings or his own life. His prose incorporated this same stylistic theme, particularly in terms of his children’s literature, like The Iron Man. Ted Hughes spent most of his life dedicated to his craft and died just before the turn of the 21st century.

Hughes explained that The Iron Man was meant to resemble the form and plotline of an ancient myth, in which a mysterious and powerful being appears on Earth and rises to the challenge of saving humanity from some dire threat. He wrote The Iron Man in the years following the death of his wife, Sylvia Plath. Plath (The Bell Jar, “Daddy,” “Lady Lazarus”) was a talented poet and author in her own right.