About
Sylvia Plath is a major figure of confessional poetry. Born in Boston, she published her first poem at age eight. After brilliant studies at Smith College, she won a Fulbright scholarship to Cambridge, where she met poet Ted Hughes. Her work explores depression, female identity, and death. Her semi-autobiographical novel, The Bell Jar, appeared in 1963 under a pseudonym. She died by suicide the same year. Her posthumous collection Ariel and Collected Poems, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1982, cemented her fame.
* 1932-10-27 — † 1963-02-11
Major works
- The Colossus (1960)poetry collection
- The Bell Jar (1963)novel
- Ariel (1965)poetry collection
- Collected Poems (1981)poetry collection
Key milestones
- 1955Graduates summa cum laude from Smith College.
- 1956Marries poet Ted Hughes in Cambridge.
- 1982Wins the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry posthumously for Collected Poems.
Themes
Depression and mental healthFemale identityDeath and rebirthFamily relationshipsNature and mythology
Sources: poetryfoundation.org · libguides.smith.edu
