The Extraordinary Life of Sylvia Plath
She was more than just a writer
To be honest, I’d never read any of Sylvia Plath’s work until I began studying her at university. It was in my second year of an arts degree in Sydney, Australia, when my lecturer — whose name was Joy — introduced me to The Bell Jar, Plath’s only published novel. And what a joy I had reading that novel. It opened my innocent, 19-year-old mind to a different world, a different way of thinking.
Plath’s novel struck me as deeply sad and moving. It was one of the most melancholic novels I’d ever read. But it was also eye-opening. I was a naive 19-year-old girl who had yet to explore the world. I barely knew who I was or who I wanted to be.
I was fascinated by America. The allure of New York City. Plath, with her effortless writing style, drew me into old world America.
What I find fascinating is that Plath wrote The Bell Jar in 1961, after she’d had her first child (in 1960), and was likely pregnant with her second child. She wrote this novel all while dealing with a partner who cheated on her.
As a mother of three young boys, it can be hard enough to get dressed and make sure my shirt is on the right way each morning, let alone write and publish a novel.
