Letters Of Sylvia Plath Volume I

Before I bought this book I thought the price point was kind of high but when it arrived I realized why! The book is huge. It's1388 pages long and I'm really excited to read it.

Plath has been much underappreciated. Ironically, she has oft been written about, and her poetry is widely read. But knowledge of her life, the tragedies and her successes is less well-known. This is an incredible volume of letters, and provides great insight as to her life.

My daughter in law like this author and asked for this book for Christmas.She is happy with the book.

So comprehensive, and adds a new twist to her real feelings for her mother Aurelia. I only miss one or two replies to enrich the correspondence.

Very good book

Cover was ripped.

warning this book is huge. i have not read it yet and will have to wait until i have lots of time.

Nice shape. Enjoying it.

This first volume of Plath's letters are described as a form of autobiography in the preface - but any reader of Plath's other writings must be struck by how different this voice is, generally, from that of her journals, her fiction and, especially, the raging, bloody poetry of Ariel. Only one or two of the searing love letters to Richard Sassoon contain echoes of the poems to come, and the drier-than-dry monotones of Esther Greenwood from The Bell Jar are rarely here either.Instead, what we get is, generally, an upbeat, energetic, lively Plath, in love with life even when she's anxious and overwhelmed with pressure and anxiety. The persona of the letter writer doesn't match that of the journal writer - and are all the more fascinating precisely for that reason. These letters, I'd suggest, offer the image Plath wanted to show to the world - even her intimate world of mother, brother, lovers and, towards the end, husband.A word on the volume itself: there is minimal editorial intervention so the underlying assumption is that we're familiar with the outlines of Plath's life (if not, I'd highly recommend Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath). Not surprisingly, foundational events (the 1953 suicide attempt, the shock treatments) are not mentioned in any of the letters. But this does include all the scholarly apparatus of notes, references, sources and a well thought out and immensely helpful index with direct links in the Kindle edition to the relevant letters.This ends in 1956 with Plath eager and excited - how tragic that we know how much will change in the following seven years...

I love Sylvia Plath's writing so it is not surprising that this first volume of her letters to her family and friends has given me such pleasure. They are wonderfully written and self-analytical. It's astonishing no one picked up her talent earlier. This volume is from her late teens to early twenties, but already we see Plath's early signs of bipolar disorder. She swings from dark lows and an early suicide attempt while at college, to exotic highs when she meets Sassoon, her first boyfriend, down again when he appears to reject her, then up to ecstatic heights at Cambridge University where she meets Ted Hughes. More miserable lows follow when they're parted. Given we all know the dreadful ending to this life, dare I read the next volume when it comes out? Freak Out!: My Life With Frank ZappaFreak Out!: My Life With Frank Zappa

After several months of reading, picking up and putting down the book at a leisurely pace, I'm finally reaching the end of this first volume. I already read "Letters home" and prior to buying this more extensive volume, was wondering if it would be redundant.While it is inevitably the case at times, first it isn't a problem if one's enjoy reading Plath, secondly these letters are complete, there aren't parts of them missing as in the other book. Also compared to "Letters home", the list of Plath's correspondants is much more diverse, she writes a lot to her various friends (although her mother still remains her principal recipient). So overall it's a major occasion to be able to try and immerse oneself into Plath's life or at least her recording of it.One thing that can become kind of boring though is that Plath very often describes the same event to two or three, four different persons. Of course it is a normal thing considering the nature of this book and it may be interesting, but nonetheless...The Faber book is beautiful, the paper is of very good quality (smooth but thick enough). The only drawback for me is the dustjacket because as always, it isn't convenient at all, either it slips, either you have to remove it while reading.Concerning the letters, one thing that struck me is how Plath rapidly changes her mind and opinions about people. They begin by being absolutely magnificent and wonderful and a while after, they're dull and not worthwhile (it won't particularly come as a surprise to Plath readers but in these letters, it is even more noticeable).Apart from that, it is great to know more about what she did practically day to day, her work, her discoveries in terms of books, movies, theatre plays, her trips...Now I'm very impatient and curious to read the second volume!

Plath is a genius. I have only just started this astonishing compilation of letters brought together by the indefatigable Peter Steinberg (and Karen Kukil), but her correspondence is mesmerising. Her early poems as a young child show a precocious grasp of language as natural as drawing breath or opening her eyes. This hefty volume - volume 1, from 1940 to 1956, her later letters to come - is a fantastic contribution to the publicly available Plath canon. Thanks so much.

Loving this book so far. She is such an interesting character. It’s a huge book and it’s good to read several of her letters daily.Pleased with the purchase.