| Uniform title | Correspondence. Selections |
| Contents |
Volume 1. 1940-1956 -- volume 2. 1956-1963. |
| Abstract |
In The Letters of Sylvia Plath Volume 1, 1940-1956, we discover the art of Plath's correspondence. Most of these materials have never before been published, and are presented here unabridged and without revision--so that she can speak directly in her own words. Refreshingly candid and offering intimate details of her personal life, Plath's letters entertain a wide ranges of addressees, including family, friends, and professional contacts, with inimitable wit and verve. This selection of early correspondence marks the key moments of Plath's adolescence, including her childhood hobbies and high school boyfriends; her successful but turbulent undergraduate years at Smith College; her move to England and Cambridge University; and her meeting and marrying Ted Hughes, including previously unseen post-honeymoon letters that reveal the beginnings of their extraordinary creative partnership. The letters document Plath's literary development and show the genesis of many poems, short and long fiction, and works of journalism. While her endeavors to publish in a variety of genres received mixed reception, she was never dissuaded. Well-read and curious, Plath simultaneously offers a fascinating commentary on contemporary culture as well as a rare look at her writing ambitions through her correspondence. Peter K. Steinberg, leading Plath scholar, and Karen V. Kukil, editor of The Journals of Sylvia Plath, 1950-1962, provide comprehensive footnotes and an extensive index informed by their meticulous research that masterfully contextualize what these pages disclose. The letters are adorned by a selection of never-before-published photographs and Plath's own elegant line drawings. This remarkable collection, a work of immense scholarship and care, presents an exclusive look at the interior life of one of the most talented and fascinating poets of the modern age. -- Inside jacket flap. |
| Abstract |
In The Letters of Sylvia Plath Volume 2, 1956-1963, we discover the art of Plath's correspondence. Most of these materials have never before been published, and are presented here unabridged and without revision--so that she can speak directly in her own words. Refreshingly candid and offering intimate details of her personal life, Plath's letters entertain a wide ranges of addressees, including family, friends, and professional contacts, with inimitable wit and verve. The letters document Plath's extraordinary literary development and the genesis of many poems, short and long fiction, and journalism. While her endeavors to publish in a variety of genres had mixed receptions, she was never dissuaded. Through acceptance and rejection of her work, Plath strove to stay true to her creative vision. Well-read and curious, she simultaneously offers a fascinating commentary on contemporary culture. Peter K. Steinberg, leading Plath scholar, and Karen V. Kukil, editor of The Journals of Sylvia Plath, 1950-1962, provide comprehensive footnotes and an extensive index informed by their meticulous research. Alongside a selection of photographs and Plath's own drawings, they masterfully contextualize what the pages disclose. This selection of later correspondence details Plath and her husband, Ted Hughes, becoming major influential contemporary writers, as it happened. Her recorded experiences include early publications; teaching, committing to writing full time, and making professional acquaintances; traveling, settling in England, building a family, and buying a house; and, through a series of letters to her psychiatrist, previously unknown insight into the breakup of her marriage. Throughout, Plath's voice is completely, uniquely her own. -- Inside jacket flap. |
| General note | "Originally published in the United Kingdom by Faber & Faber."--Title page verso. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Genre/form | Personal correspondence. |
| Genre/form | Personal correspondence. |
| Genre/form | Records and correspondence. |
| ISBN | 9780062740434 (volume 1) |
| ISBN | 0062740431 (volume 1) |
| ISBN | 9780571339204 (volume 2) |
| ISBN | 0571339204 (volume 2) |
| ISBN | 9780062740588 (volume 2) |
| ISBN | 006274058X volume 2 |
