The short and bright life of the poetess Sylvia Plath has been disturbing the minds of the public for 50 years. She is worshiped, remembered and honored. Although her legacy is only a couple of collections of poems and one novel, several dozens of books have been written about her work and life, and even a film has been made.
early years
The future writer was born on October 27, 1932. Sylvia Plath childhood passed under the sign of adoration and admiration for his father. He was a professor at Boston University, a famous bee researcher, an emigrant from Germany, and a very authoritarian person. The girl was under his strong influence, perceived him as God. Sylvia's mother was much younger than her husband, she came from Austria and worked as a German teacher at a Brooklyn school.
Her father worked hard, her mother was engaged in the younger brother of Sylvia, who was sick a lot, and the girl was left to herself most of the time. She passionately dreamed of deserving her father’s love and found the only way for this - to study perfectly. When she was eight years old, her father died. He suffered from diabetes, but convinced himself that he, like his friend, had advanced cancer, and therefore did not go to the doctor. When gangrene gripped her leg, the wife nevertheless insisted on treatment, but the surgical intervention was unsuccessful, and Otto Plat died. For Sylvia, this was a terrible shock, she experienced this loss for many years, saying that she had lost the opportunity to speak with God. The topic of loss will subsequently become important for Plat, in 1962 she will write a poem “Daddy”, in which she will accuse her father of abandoning her.
School years
After the death of her husband, Aurelia Plat was forced to work a lot, her relationship with her daughter did not work out at all, later Sylvia will say that she felt hatred for her mother. The family moved to Wellesley, and the girl went to Bradford's school, where she was the best student of all years. She showed brilliant successes in the English language, especially she was successful in creative tasks, she was also the editor of a school newspaper.
From early childhood, the girl showed a talent for writing, as early as eight years old, the first poem by Sylvia Plath was published in the newspaper. From the age of 11 she constantly wrote stories and sent them to US magazines. By the end of school, she had already written about five dozen stories, of which 9 were published. In addition, the girl showed promise in painting, she even won an award at an art competition. From the age of 12 she constantly kept a diary in which she wrote down her thoughts and life events.
College
After graduating from school, Sylvia Plath managed to get a scholarship to study at prestigious Smith College in Massachusetts. She was happy, hoping for a happy change, but in college she still had to experience environmental pressure, which did not want to put up with her talent and unusualness. Her diaries of this period indicate that during these years Sylvia experienced a great creative upsurge, they contain many sketches of poems and stories, many thoughts, plans for the future.
Creativity Plat in this period is harmonious, imaginative. At this time she was working a lot on poetry technique, striving to create a perfect text. Since 1950, she regularly publishes articles, stories, and poems in national level magazines and newspapers. At the same time, she studied brilliantly, from the second year all the professors were delighted with her. Sylvia receives a scholarship, and also won the Mademoiselle magazine contest for a monthly internship in New York. She worked as a freelance correspondent, and the events of this month will subsequently form the basis of her novel Under a Glass Cap.
Nervous exhaustion and the first suicide attempt
Although the internship was successful, Sylvia returns from New York in a broken condition. She becomes depressed, loses her ability to write and feels her absolute worthlessness. All this was compounded by the fact that she was denied the opportunity to take a summer course at Harvard, and she did not have a scholarship to study at Smith College, and she was forced to transfer to a less prestigious college in Lawrence. All of this emotionally drained Sylvia. Her personal and mental characteristics were such that she could create only by driving herself into a frenzy. She subconsciously interpreted the events of life so that they all turned into tragedy.
The summer of 1953 will subsequently be described in the novel by Sylvia, where she tells that she could not think, write, communicate with people at this time. On August 24, she attempts suicide. She swallows sleeping pills, but loses consciousness and does not have time to finish what she started. She is rescued and sent to a psychiatric clinic. The restoration of Sylvia Plath took a whole year. She was subjected to excruciating electroshock treatment, and by the spring of 1954 she returned to decent shape and even decided to return to school. She manages to fulfill her dream and go on a summer course at Harvard. In the same year, she finds a friend in the person of Richard Sassoon.
Cambridge
Finishing his studies at college, Sylvia writes an outstanding diploma work on duality in the work of Dostoevsky. This work was very much appreciated, and she gets the opportunity to continue her studies in Cambridge. The university made a very favorable impression on the girl, she is happy to study, she is engaged in a theater studio. She is only harmed by the climate - she suffers a lot from the English weather, which undermines her strength. At this time, a blow awaits her - Richard Sassoon, with whom she spent a romantic vacation in Paris, decided to break off relations with her. Sylvia is very worried, but her work saves: she writes a lot of poetry, publishes articles, stories. Sylvia Plath, whose books awaits world fame in the future, constantly experienced insecurity in herself and in her work, this led to fluctuations in her mood.
Family life
In the winter of 1956, she met the young poet Ted Hughes, the couple became very close, the writers found a lot in common, all this led to falling in love. And already in the summer, young people get married, spend the summer in Spain, and then return to Cambridge. Sylvia at this time not only studying, but, in fact, is the secretary of her husband. She helps him publish a book and win a first prize at a New York poetry center competition.
Under the influence of her husband, the original poetess Sylvia Plath is formed, whose works acquire a new sound and perfect shape. After graduation, the couple moved to the United States, where Sylvia works as a teacher. This work exhausted her and prevented her from engaging in creativity.
In 1959, the couple returned to Britain due to the fact that Sylvia became pregnant, and Hughes wanted the baby to be born on the land of his ancestors. A difficult time for a woman - pregnancy - is complicated for the poetess by complex relationships with her husband's family, especially with his sister.
In 1960, Sylvia gave birth to a daughter, at the same time she signed a contract for the publication of the book of poems The Colossus & Other Poems. The time for creativity was sorely lacking, and Plath was very worried about this. However, by 1961 she was developing a new rhythm of life, now she writes early in the morning, while everyone is sleeping, and she is in a turbulent creative period - she writes a whole series of poems and stories.
Novel
At the end of 1961, Sylvia received a grant to write the first novel. She has been working on a book for 70 days. So the world received an outstanding novelist named Sylvia Plath. “Under a Glass Cap” is a novel that will become a cult, but already after the death of the author. The book comes out under a pseudonym, since it had a lot of autobiographical. The novel will subsequently become a real mouthpiece of feminism, the book will be reprinted, studied and re-read. But Sylvia could not live to see this triumph.
Sad end
In the fall of 1962, the poetess, who learned about her husband’s infidelity, filed for divorce and was left alone with two children in a cold house. The verses of Sylvia Plath of this period convey the strongest feelings of the woman, she is tormented by the betrayal of her husband. Almost in one gulp, she writes 26 poems, which will be formed in the posthumous collection "Ariel".
The psyche does not withstand stress, and on February 11, 1963, she commits suicide by drinking sleeping pills and gas poisoning. This act caused the effect of Sylvia Plath: many young women also made suicidal attempts, in particular, the lover of Ted Hughes, whom he married after Sylvia, committed suicide in the same way.
