Three-Martini Afternoons at the Ritz
The Rebellion of Sylvia Plath & Anne Sexton
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3.5 • 6 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
Named a Best Book of 2021 by the Los Angeles Times
A vividly rendered and empathetic exploration of how two of the greatest poets of the 20th century—Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton—became bitter rivals and, eventually, friends.
Introduced at a workshop in Boston University led by the acclaimed and famous poet Robert Lowell, Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton formed a friendship that would soon evolve into a fierce rivalry, colored by jealousy and respect in equal terms.
In the years that followed, these two women would not only become iconic figures in literature, but also lead curiously parallel lives haunted by mental illness, suicide attempts, self-doubt, and difficult personal relationships. With weekly martini meetings at the Ritz to discuss everything from sex to suicide, theirs was a relationship as complex and subversive as their poetry.
Based on in-depth research and unprecedented archival access, Three-Martini Afternoons at the Ritz is a remarkable and unforgettable look at two legendary poets and how their work has turned them into lasting and beloved cultural figures.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Crowther (The Haunted Reader and Sylvia Plath) places poets Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton side by side in this solid study that illuminates two "hugely ambitious women in a cultural moment that did not know how to deal with ambitious women." The poets met in 1959 in a workshop offered by Robert Lowell at Boston University and, though rivals, they admired each other's work. Both were unabashed about sex at a time of strict social mores, had tumultuous marriages, juggled child care and their writing careers, and died by suicide. Crowther also details their differences: while in class "Sexton was often late, all breezy and open, jangling with jewelry," Plath "was mostly silent and often turned up early"; Sexton was not private with her writing, while Plath "definitely was." Despite her excellent research, Crowther's style is sometimes distracting (After Plath discovered her husband was having an affair, the author writes, "It feels like she would have benefited from Sexton's support," as she "likely would have done Plath's hair and makeup and dragged her out to drink too much"). Nevertheless, this insightful account is a slick addition to the body of work on these two influential poets.
