Five interesting facts about the poet Sylvia Plath
1. The first time Sylvia Plath met Ted Hughes, she was so excited that she bit him on the face.
The two felt an inexplicable attraction to one another and almost immediately began biting each other’s faces off – literally. When they left the party at which they had met, Plath noticed that blood was running down Hughes’ face.
2. Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath married on 16th June – because of James Joyce.
Plath and Hughes chose this day for their nuptials in honour of Bloomsday, the day on which the action of James Joyce’s 1922 novel Ulysses takes place. But Joyce himself chose 16th June because, among other things, it was the day on which, in 1904, he had his first proper date with Nora Barnacle, the woman who later became his wife. We’ve discussed this, and other Joycean and Ulyssean moments, in these two posts, on Ulysses and on Joyce’s life.
3. Plath’s father was an expert on bees.
An entomologist, and Professor of Biology at Boston University, Otto Plath wrote a monograph on bumblebees called Bumblebees and Their Ways, published in 1934 when Sylvia was two years old.
4. Sylvia Plath committed suicide in an apartment in which W. B. Yeats had once lived.
Plath knew that 23 Fitzroy Road, London, the flat she rented from 1962 until her death in 1963, had once been rented by the great Irish poet; she reportedly considered this a good omen for her own writing. However, it would be in the Fitzroy Road apartment that she would take her own life, just over a year later.
5. Plath wrote a book of nonsense poems for children.
Called The Bed Book, the volume comprised a series of poems about different kinds of beds. This was only published posthumously, in 1976. As with most classic children’s books, The Bed Book was written for the amusement of the author’s own children. The original British edition was illustrated by Quentin Blake, best known for providing the distinctive illustrations to many of Roald Dahl’s books for children.
Image: via Wikimedia Commons.
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I play quiz bowl in college and whenever there’s a question about a depressing sounding female author that we don’t know, we always answer Plath.
I really liked all these facts and interesting details about Sylvia Plath, good blog post. What made you so interested in this poet?
Aargh auto correct ‘well researched’ of course :)
I didn’t know about the Joyce/Yeats connections – quite fascinating details and we’ll-researched.
Only five fascinating facts? I’d welcome a few more, if you have them up your sleeve, as it were. (I don’t read In this blog as often as I should and, on this occasion that I do, I feel slightly short changed!)
Aha I love Sylvia Plath.
I read The Bell Jar two months ago for school and I learned a lot about Sylvia Plath then. You added a few more facts that I didn’t know. Thanks for sharing.
Reblogged this on Tina Bausinger.
This is a great list. Have reblogged on Word Shamble https://lynnmlovewords.wordpress.com/
This is a great list. Have reblogged on Word Shamble lynnmlovewords.wordpress.com
Reblogged this on Word Shamble and commented:
Couldn’t resist passing on this list of facts about Sylvia Plath. I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited I’ve bitten someone on the face- but I’d like to be!
Love this! Thank you for sharing these great tidbits! If you’re ever interested in some great book reviews and musings, be sure to follow! Thanks!!!
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One of first poetry books I ever brought was written by her…
I have her Letters Home which I’ve yet to read from front to back! (I’ve dipped into it – she describes her first suicide attempts.) Its a useful corrective to the tendency to romanticise her death. .or make links between creativity and self-destruction. From the blurb. Has photos as well. Publ by Faber and faber 1976
These are some very interesting facts on such a great individual. Thanks for sharing – sad though that she left so soon :(
-IV