The Letters of Sylvia Plath Volume 1: 1940-1956 Hardback - 2017

"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own elegant line drawings taken from the letters she sent to her friends and family, as well as twenty-two previously unpublished photographs.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 first volume, covering her life from 1940 to 1956, presents the definitive record of Plath's early years:

• Unpublished Letters: Read hundreds of previously unseen letters to family, friends, and lovers, including sixteen revealing letters to Ted Hughes written just after their honeymoon.
• The Complete Story: For the first time, experience Plath's unabridged correspondence, restoring the full, historically accurate text of letters previously published only in censored form.
• The Artist at Work: Follow the evolution of a literary genius through her candid correspondence from her years at Smith College, her time at Cambridge on a Fulbright scholarship, and her early creative partnership with Ted Hughes.
• Plath's Own Artwork: Discover a new side of the poet through twenty-seven of her elegant line drawings and twenty-two unpublished photographs, many taken directly from the original letters.