(1932-1963)

Who Was Sylvia Plath?

Sylvia Plath was an American novelist and poet. Plath met and married British poet Ted Hughes, although the two later split. The depressive Plath committed suicide in 1963, garnering accolades after her death for the novel The Bell Jar, and the poetry collections The Colossus and Ariel. In 1982, Plath became the first person to win a posthumous Pulitzer Prize.

Early Life

Plath was born on October 27, 1932, in Boston, Massachusetts. Plath was a gifted and troubled poet, known for the confessional style of her work. Her interest in writing emerged at an early age, and she started out by keeping a journal. After publishing a number of works, Plath won a scholarship to Smith College in 1950.

While she was a student, Plath spent time in New York City during the summer of 1953 working for Mademoiselle magazine as a guest editor. Soon after, Plath tried to kill herself by taking sleeping pills. She eventually recovered, having received treatment during a stay in a mental health facility. Plath returned to Smith and finished her degree in 1955.

Relationship and Published Poetry

A Fulbright Fellowship brought Plath to Cambridge University in England. While studying at the university’s Newnham College, she met the poet Ted Hughes. The two married in 1956 and had a stormy relationship. In 1957, Plath spent time in Massachusetts to study with poet Robert Lowell and met fellow poet and student Ann Sexton. She also taught English at Smith College around that same time. Plath returned to England in 1959.

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A poet on the rise, Plath had her first collection of poetry, The Colossus, published in England in 1960. That same year, she gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Freida. Two years later, Plath and Hughes welcomed a second child, a son named Nicholas. Unfortunately, the couple’s marriage was falling apart.

Death

After Hughes left her for another woman in 1962, Plath fell into a deep depression. Struggling with her mental illness, she wrote The Bell Jar (1963), her only novel, which was based on her life and deals with one young woman’s mental breakdown. Plath published the novel under the pseudonym, Victoria Lucas. She also created the poems that would make up the collection Ariel (1965), which was released after her death. Plath committed suicide on February 11, 1963.

Legacy and Movie

Much to the dismay of some admirers of Plath, Hughes became her literary executor after her death. While there has been some speculation about how he handled her papers and her image, he did edit what is considered by many to her greatest work, Ariel. It featured several of her most well-known poems, including “Daddy” and “Lady Lazarus.” He continued to produce new collections of Plath’s works. Plath won the Pulitzer Prize in 1982 for Collected Poems. She is still a highly regarded and much-studied poet to this day.

The story of Plath — her troubled life and tragic death — was the basis for the 2003 biopic Sylvia starring Gwyneth Paltrow in the title role.

QUICK FACTS

  • Name: Sylvia Plath
  • Birth Year: 1932
  • Birth date: October 27, 1932
  • Birth State: Massachusetts
  • Birth City: Boston
  • Birth Country: United States
  • Gender: Female
  • Best Known For: Sylvia Plath was an American poet best known for her novel ‘The Bell Jar,’ and for her poetry collections ‘The Colossus’ and ‘Ariel.’
  • Industries
    • Journalism and Nonfiction
    • Fiction and Poetry
  • Astrological Sign: Scorpio
  • Schools
    • Smith College
    • Cambridge University
  • Death Year: 1963
  • Death date: February 11, 1963
  • Death City: London
  • Death Country: England
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CITATION INFORMATION

  • Article Title: Sylvia Plath Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: The Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/authors-writers/sylvia-plath
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: April 15, 2021
  • Original Published Date: April 3, 2014

QUOTES

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