Sylvia Plath
By
User:AllieCashel @timeAndDate(1278430202)
Sylvia Plath is one of the world's most beloved poets and novelists, yet also one of the most tragic. After long struggle with depression, Plath took her own live in 1963 at the age of 31 and many of her most famous works were not published until after her death. In fact, Plath became the first person to ever win a Pulitzer Prize posthumously, which she won for ''The Collected Poems'' in 1981. Separate from her tragic fate, Plath's work and talent have been acknowledged by critics and readers alike as some of the best poetry and prose they have seen. She has been credited as the person who advanced confessional poetry to the complex level it is today as well as enabled all of her readers to personally reflect through her poetry, characters and images. All of her work is very reader accessible, suitable for anyone looking to take a journey into the mind and world of Sylvia Plath as well as their own.
Popular Works
'''''The Colossus and Other Poems''''' - First published in 1960, this famous collection of poems brought Plath into the spotlight of the literary community. It consists of 40 poems, all wonderfully moving, exhilarating and skillfully crafted, that deal with themes of parenthood, suicide, the noisy imperatives of life and the chilly hunger for death. This collection provides readers with poems filled with lush imagery and hundreds of interpretations, allowing everyone to find some aspect that seems to connect only with them. It is a perfect example of Plath's talent in the confessional poetry genre and it will take you on an emotional roller coaster you'll never regret having taken.
'''''Ariel''''' - This was the second collection of Plath's poetry and was published two years after her death in 1965. That being said, most of the poems in the collection were selected by Plath herself (she had been working on a manuscript for her next book) with the exception of a few poems added by her husband that were written in the last few weeks of Plath's life. This collection is notably more abrupt and sardonic than her first collection, providing a chilling insight into the dark places Plath's mind was able to travel to. Though at times these poems may leave the reader with nothing but hopelessness, the collection's moments of brightness and love are incredibly moving, and sure to touch the hearts of every reader.
'''''The Bell Jar''''' autobiographical novel (Plath's only novel) tells the story of her protagonist's, Esther Greenwood, descent into mental illness. It is one of Plath's most popular works, it has been turned into a film twice, and further demonstrates Plath's amazing writing talent as she was able to successfully journey into the separate genre of fiction writing.
'''''Letters Home: Correspondence 1950–1963''''' - In 1975, Plath's mother edited and collected all of the letters Plath wrote to her family from her first year of college until the time of her death. Because so many readers were just as fascinated by the Sylvia's mind as her writing, the collection was a huge success. It provides interesting and occasionally shocking insight into the inner workings of Plath's mind as well as her growth as a writer and a woman.
'''''Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams''''' - Originally published in 1977, this book contains a collection of Plath's short stories, selected by her husband Ted Hughes. Similarly to ''The Bell Jar'', all of her stories are as beautiful and rich as her poems, with the added bonus of complex and interesting characters and plots. It is easy and enjoyable to read but each line is loaded with layers of meaning interpretable by every reader.
Other popular Plath works include ''
The Collected Poems of Sylvia Plath''.
Quick Picks
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