Sylvia Plath

Sylvia Plath was a twentieth century American poet, novelist, and short story writer immortalized by her confessional poetry and insight into the devastating effects of mental illness. She was a bright star in the literary world from an early age and displayed an enormous amount of potential, studying at both Smith College and Cambridge, where she obtained a Fullbright Scholarship to study at Newnham College. Her career…or rather…her life, was unfortunately grossly overshadowed by depression and what many people now believe to have been bipolar disorder, and sadly, Sylvia produced the best and most illustrious writing of her lifetime in the months just prior to committing suicide at the absurdly young age of 30. These poems were published posthumously in a collection entitled Ariel, which gained her extensive renowned and a devoted following of readers. There is a lot of debate about Sylvia, especially concerning her husband Ted Hughes and the nature of their relationship, but I promise we’ll get into all that later in the episode. In the meantime, pour yourself a drink as we try to keep it light while discussing the dark and tragic life of Sylvia Plath.