The alvarez generation thom gunn geoffrey hill ted hughes sylvia plath and peter porter by william wootten in large part alvarez not only promoted the reputations of sylvia plath and ted hughes but also created a taste for poetry of extremes that scorned the provincialism of the previous generation the alvarez generation . This was the generation of thom gunn geoffrey hill ted hughes sylvia plath and peter porter william wootten explores what these five poets shared in common their connections critical reception rivalries and differences and locates what was new and valuable in their work. This was the generation of thom gunn geoffrey hill ted hughes sylvia plath and peter porter william wootten explores what these five poets shared in common their connections critical reception rivalries and differences and locates what was new and valuable in their work. This was the generation of thom gunn geoffrey hill ted hughes sylvia plath and peter porter here author william wootten explores what these five poets shared in common their connections critical reception rivalries and differences and locates what was new and valuable in their work. The alvarez generation thom gunn geoffrey hill ted hughes sylvia plath and peter porter first edition william wootten liverpool university press fascinating well written study of the group of poets championed by alvarez in his 1962 anthology the new poetry