The Letters of Sylvia Plath: Volume I, 1940-1956 (2017)

Plath put as much effort into her correspondence as her other writing, she's witty, engaging, energetic -- a true writer, she wanted the recipients to enjoy her letters.

Book Review: The Letters of Sylvia Plath is a chunker, a monster, a brick, a beast, massive ... literally a "tome." Sylvia Plath, in those pre-Twitter and texting days, wrote a lot of letters (future generations will not have the pleasure of reading letters collections). More than 1,390 letters. You've already read some of this book if you've ever read a biography of Sylvia Plath; these letters are what her biographers have been quoting at us for years. Many previously appeared in the 500 page volume, Letters Home (1975), edited by Plath's devoted mother, Aurelia Schober Plath, which I read previously. This volume is only the first (the second is expected in 2018), clocking in just shy of 1400 pages, and this brobdingnagian volume will mostly appeal only to biographers and the most pious Plath fans. I count myself in the latter group (Plath and Emily Dickinson are two of America's best poets, not just best female poets).

No, I haven't read the whole of The Letters of Sylvia Plath, perhaps never will. I've been paging through and reading randomly for about a month now, but already two fascinating themes have emerged. First is how, paradoxically, Plath is wonderfully confident of her mother's love and interest in the tiniest of details, but her need for her mother's approval is also nakedly apparent. So much focus has been placed on Plath's relationship with her too-soon departed father (per her most famous poem, "Daddy"), but her relationship with her mother could be a lifetime study (thanks to this recent overdose of evidentiary material). Second, Plath is surprisingly open, frank, and confident in her letters with her boyfriends. Perhaps I have a mistaken image of the times. With further reading, I'm looking forward to further revelations and insights. Plath was diligent and hard working. She was intelligent, ambitious, talented beyond belief, and funny; those qualities come through in the letters. So much personality. Aurelia Plath was a single mother, uncommon in those days, with two children. Coming from limited means, money was always an issue. Plath worked hard for scholarships and literary prizes -- they were not only a much needed validation, the money was necessary to exist in her elite academic circle (Smith College, University of Cambridge). She needed the money, even simply to buy a sweater.

In addition to the letters, there are photos, facsimiles, poems, and drawings. The footnotes and index are amazing, extensive and thorough -- for scholars half the research is already complete. The Letters of Sylvia Plath is a class act, professional, expert, and always well done. Worthy of Plath's legacy.  [5★]