Œuvres: Poèmes, Roman, Nouvelles, Contes, Essais, Journaux

by Sylvia Plath, Patricia Godi (Commentary), Patrick Reumaux (Commentary)

Pour la première fois réunies en un seul volume, les oeuvres essentielles de Sylvia Plath (1932-1963), auteur majeur de la poésie américaine de l'après-Seconde Guerre mondiale, devenue l'objet d'une vénération qui ne faiblit pas, depuis sa mort prématurée et brutale à l'âge de trente ans. Son écriture est fondée sur l'expérience privée des conflits et des désordres du moi, de la situation de la femme dans la culture. La vie est inséparable de l'écriture : "Je ne peux me contenter du travail colossal que représente le fait de simplement vivre. Oh non, il faut que j'organise la vie en sonnets et sextines, procure un réflecteur verbal à l'ampoule de soixante watts que j'ai dans la tête" (Journaux, 14 mai 1953) ; et la création est vouée à la fluctuation entre le sentiment de toute-puissance et l'angoisse de l'anéantissement. Comme s'il fallait au sujet atteindre "le fond", en quelque sorte mourir, pour refaire surface, renouer avec les forces de l'être, renaître...

Genres: Poetry, Classics

1280 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2002

About the author

Sylvia Plath was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer, widely regarded as one of the most influential and emotionally powerful authors of the 20th century. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, she demonstrated literary talent from an early age, publishing her first poem at the age of eight. Her early life was shaped by the death of her father, Otto Plath, when she was eight years old, a trauma that would profoundly influence her later work.
Plath attended Smith College, where she excelled academically but also struggled privately with depression. In 1953, she survived a suicide attempt, an experience she later fictionalized in her semi-autobiographical novel The Bell Jar. After recovering, she earned a Fulbright Scholarship to study at Newnham College, Cambridge, in England. While there, she met and married English poet Ted Hughes in 1956. Their relationship was passionate but tumultuous, with tensions exacerbated by personal differences and Hughes's infidelities.
Throughout her life, Plath sought to balance her ambitions as a writer with the demands of marriage and motherhood. She had two children with Hughes, Frieda and Nicholas, and continued to write prolifically. In 1960, her first poetry collection, The Colossus and Other Poems, was published in the United Kingdom. Although it received modest critical attention at the time, it laid the foundation for her distinctive voice—intensely personal, often exploring themes of death, rebirth, and female identity.
Plath's marriage unraveled in 1962, leading to a period of intense emotional turmoil but also extraordinary creative output. Living with her two children in London, she wrote many of the poems that would posthumously form Ariel, the collection that would cement her literary legacy. These works, filled with striking imagery and raw emotional force, displayed her ability to turn personal suffering into powerful art. Poems like "Daddy" and "Lady Lazarus" remain among her most famous, celebrated for their fierce honesty and technical brilliance.
In early 1963, following a deepening depression, Plath died by suicide at the age of 30. Her death shocked the literary world and sparked a lasting fascination with her life and work. The posthumous publication of Ariel in 1965, edited by Hughes, introduced Plath's later poetry to a wide audience and established her as a major figure in modern literature. Her novel The Bell Jar was also published under her own name shortly after her death, having initially appeared under the pseudonym "Victoria Lucas."
Plath’s work is often classified within the genre of confessional poetry, a style that emphasizes personal and psychological experiences. Her fearless exploration of themes like mental illness, female oppression, and death has resonated with generations of readers and scholars. Over time, Plath has become a feminist icon, though her legacy is complex and occasionally controversial, especially in light of debates over Hughes's role in managing her literary estate and personal history.
Today, Sylvia Plath is remembered not only for her tragic personal story but also for her immense contributions to American and English literature. Her work continues to inspire writers, artists, and readers worldwide. Collections such as Ariel, Crossing the Water, and Winter Trees, as well as her journals and letters, offer deep insight into her creative mind. Sylvia Plath’s voice, marked by its intensity and emotional clarity, remains one of the most haunting and enduring in modern literature.

Reviews

[Anthony Lacroix · Rating 5 out of 5]

Je n’ai lu que les journaux et la cloche de verre pour un cours. Je reviendrai pour les autres textes.

[Come Ariel · Rating 5 out of 5]

🤍 Questo volume inerente le opere di Sylvia Plath è il volume al quale sono più affezionata. Lo desideravo tanto e con tutta me stessa. Poi, quando nel lontano 2018 decisi che la mia tesi di laurea triennale sarebbe stata su Sylvia Plath, mia madre me lo regalò. La mia gioia fu tanta, potete immaginare.

🤍 Perché adoro questo volume? Be’, racchiude molto di Sylvia e su Sylvia: è presente un saggio introduttivo meraviglioso a opera di Nadia Fusini; seguono le poesie tradotte da Anna Ravano; ancora dopo troviamo “La campana di vetro” e la raccolta di racconti “Johnny Panic e la Bibbia dei sogni” e anche altre poesie tradotti da Adriana Bottini; non possono mancare i preziosi “Diari” tradotti da Simona Fefé; inoltre, questo volume presenta delle note di commento alla fine. Potete trovare spiegazioni utilissime e interessanti inerenti gli aspetti della vita di Sylvia Plath ma anche sul perché abbia prediletto alcune scelte narrative al posto di altre.

🤍 Non vi nascondo che costa un pochino, ma averlo rende la libreria (almeno la mia) decisamente più ricca.

-Come Ariel.