Zungen aus Stein: Erzählungen

by Sylvia Plath

Am 27. Oktober 2012 wäre die amerikanische Autorin Sylvia Plath 80 Jahre alt geworden. 1963, als Dreißigjährige, nahm sie sich in London das Leben. In der kurzen Zeit ihres Schaffens war Sylvia Plath ungeheuer produktiv. Sie galt als Wunderkind, veröffentlichte schon mit 17 Jahren Kurzgeschichten und Gedichte. Sie führte ein intensives Leben, voller Verlangen, voller Erwartungen, war getrieben von einem ungeheuren Ehrgeiz, zerrissen zwischen dem Anspruch, den Idealvorstellungen der amerikanischen Gesellschaft von einer perfekten Hausfrau, Mutter und Ehefrau zu entsprechen, und dem Wunsch nach öffentlicher Anerkennung als Schriftstellerin. Heute zählt Sylvia Plath zu den bedeutendsten amerikanischen Autorinnen des 20. Jahrhunderts. In ihren eindrucksvollen Erzählungen schreibt Plath über Frauen und weibliches Bewusstsein: von kleinen Mädchen mit ihrer ersten Trauer über das Unwiederbringliche, von Schülerinnen, die unter dem Gruppenterror an der High School leiden, von der Alltäglichkeit in den Beziehungen zwischen Frau und Mann, aber auch von unverhofftem Glück. Immer scheint Sylvia Plath in ihren Erzählungen selbst anwesend zu sein, mit all ihrer Verletzlichkeit und ihrer tiefen Melancholie.

Genres: Short Stories

266 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2012

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

[ely ☕️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ich liebe Sylvias Schreibstil, aber einige der Kurzgeschichten sind unfassbar langweilig. Und ich lese gerne langweilige Bücher!

Viele der Geschichten in dieser Ausgabe waren wahrscheinlich Blueprints für The Bell Jar. Das ist wirklich offensichtlich, da teilweise ganze Sätze eins zu eins in The Bell Jar kopiert werden. Wenn man sich auch nur ein bisschen mit Sylvia beschäftigt hat, wird klar, dass die meisten ihrer Werke im Grunde nur von ihrem eigenen Leben handeln.

Ich muss mir noch Gedanken darüber machen, wie gut ein Schriftsteller wirklich sein kann, wenn er nur über sein eigenes Leben schreibt?

Wenn man The Bell Jar bereits gelesen hat, lohnt sich dieses Buch nicht. Besser ist es, die andere Ausgabe des Verlags zu lesen: Die Bibel der Träume. Viel interessantere Journal-Entries, und die Kurzgeschichten weichen deutlich von der The Bell Jar-Storyline ab.

[Jonas · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5- sehr viele, sehr gute Geschichten, aber leider hat es mich trotzdem nicht wirklich aus meinem Reading Slump geholt, daher kann ich dem Buch leider nicht mehr Sterne geben. Aber an sich eine tolle Geschichtensammlung!

[frida · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 (i’m not really sure)
The writing ist absolutely gorgeous. I loved the stories, some were cute, some extremely painful.
I would have given it 5 stars but the last few stories got a little boring.

[Erika]

Ich habe ein Buch bei BookCrossing.com registriert!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14475384

[Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sehr berührende Geschichten, die sehr bildlich geschrieben sind.

[Marko]

I have the german and the english edition: Johnny Panic