The Letters of Sylvia Plath Volume 1

“The Letters of Sylvia Plath underscores Plath’s jaw-dropping output, her rapid growth from merely talented to singular voice. . . . The result is a comprehensive portrait of the artist as a young woman, ardently — unnervingly — committed to literature and relationships.” —Hamilton Cain, Minneapolis Star-Tribune

The first volume in the definitive, complete collection of the letters of Sylvia Plath—most never before seen.

One of the most beloved poets of the modern age, Sylvia Plath continues to inspire and fascinate the literary world. While her renown as one of the twentieth century’s most influential poets is beyond dispute, Plath was also one of its most captivating correspondents. The Letters of Sylvia Plath is the breathtaking compendium of this prolific writer’s correspondence with more than 120 people, including family, friends, contemporaries, and colleagues.

The Letters of Sylvia Plath includes her correspondence from her years at Smith, her summer editorial internship in New York City, her time at Cambridge, her experiences touring Europe, and the early days of her marriage to Ted Hughes in 1956.

Most of the letters are previously unseen, including sixteen letters written by Plath to Hughes when they were apart after their honeymoon. This magnificent compendium also includes twenty-seven of Plath’s own elegant line drawings taken from the letters she sent to her friends and family, as well as twenty-two previously unpublished photographs.

This remarkable, collected edition of Plath’s letters is a work of immense scholarship and care, presenting a comprehensive and historically accurate text of the known and extant letters that she wrote. Intimate and revealing, this masterful compilation offers fans and scholars generous and unprecedented insight into the life of one of our most significant poets.

This is more than a book of letters—it's a firsthand account of a singular voice in formation.
Unseen Correspondence: Read hundreds of letters—most never before published—that Plath sent to over 120 friends, family members, and literary contemporaries.The Artist's Development: Witness Plath's rapid growth from a talented student to a singular literary voice through her own unedited words covering her time at Smith, in New York, and at Cambridge.Letters to Ted Hughes: Discover the early days of one of literature's most famous marriages, including sixteen passionate letters written just after their honeymoon.Drawings and Photographs: Explore a more personal side of Plath through twenty-seven of her own elegant line drawings and twenty-two previously unpublished photographs from her personal collection.A Daughter's Perspective: Gain unique context from a foreword by Frieda Hughes, offering an intimate view of her parents' profound literary partnership.