Sylvia Plath
American poet, Fulbright scholar at Cambridge, and wife of Ted Hughes.
Sylvia Plath was an American poet who studied at Cambridge on a Fulbright Scholarship. She met English poet Ted Hughes at a party launching *St. Botolph's Review* on 25 February 1956, and they married four months later on 16 June 1956 at St George the Martyr, Holborn. They had two children, Frieda Hughes (b. 1960) and Nicholas Hughes (1962–2009), before separating in autumn 1962. Plath ended her life on 11 February 1963.
- died
- February 11, 1963, London, England
- field
- Poetry
- nationality
- American
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Sylvia Plath came to the party for *St. Botolph's Review* specifically to meet Ted Hughes and fellow poet Lucas Myers. She and Hughes felt a great mutual attraction but did not meet again for another month, when Plath passed through London on her way to Paris. She visited him again on her return three weeks later. They were married on 16 June 1956, choosing the date, Bloomsday, in honour of Irish writer James Joyce. Plath's mother was the only wedding guest. The couple spent most of their honeymoon at Benidorm, in Alicante on Spain's Costa Blanca. Hughes's biographers note that Plath did not tell him about her history of depression and suicide attempts until much later. After returning to Cambridge, they lived at 55 Eltisley Avenue. That year they each had poems published in *The Nation*, *Poetry*, and *The Atlantic*. Plath typed up Hughes's manuscript for his collection *Hawk in the Rain*. The couple moved to the United States in 1957 so that Plath could take a teaching position at her alma mater, Smith College. They returned to England in 1959. In the summer of 1962, Hughes began an affair with Assia Wevill, who had been subletting the Primrose Hill flat with her husband. Under the cloud of his affair, Hughes and Plath separated in the autumn of 1962. Plath moved back to London and set up life in a new flat with the children. Plath took her own life on 11 February 1963. As Plath's widower, Hughes became the executor of Plath's personal and literary estates. He oversaw the posthumous publication of her manuscripts, including *Ariel* (1965).
Reader's Guide
Sylvia Plath is significant as the wife of Ted Hughes and as a poet in her own right. She met Hughes at a party on 25 February 1956, and they married on 16 June 1956. She typed up the manuscript for Hughes's first collection, *Hawk in the Rain*, which won a competition and was published in September 1957. After Plath's death, Hughes became the executor of her personal and literary estates and oversaw the posthumous publication of her manuscripts, including *Ariel* (1965). Hughes was criticized for editing choices he made after Plath's death. Her legacy is tied to her work and her relationship with Hughes, which is documented in Hughes's later collection *Birthday Letters*.
Did You Know?
- Sylvia Plath was studying at Cambridge on a Fulbright Scholarship when she met Ted Hughes.
- She came to the party for *St. Botolph's Review* specifically to meet Hughes and Lucas Myers.
- Plath and Hughes married on 16 June 1956, a date they chose because it was Bloomsday, in honour of James Joyce.
- Plath typed up the manuscript for Hughes's first collection, *Hawk in the Rain*.
- After Plath's death, Hughes became the executor of her literary estates and oversaw the posthumous publication of *Ariel* (1965).
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Sylvia Plath?
Sylvia Plath was an American poet and novelist born in 1932 in Boston, Massachusetts, who became one of the defining voices of confessional poetry. She is best remembered for her raw, emotionally intense verse and her semi-autobiographical novel The Bell Jar.
What is Sylvia Plath most known for?
She is widely credited with pushing confessional poetry into the mainstream, using deeply personal subject matter to explore themes of identity, motherhood, and mental illness. Her two major poetry collections are The Colossus and Other Poems and Ariel, and her novel The Bell Jar remains a landmark of American fiction.
What is The Bell Jar?
The Bell Jar is a semi-autobiographical novel published in 1963 under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas, depicting a young woman's descent into depression and institutionalization in postwar America. It was released just one month before Plath's death and became a defining work of women's literature.
How did Sylvia Plath's life end?
Plath died by suicide in London on February 11, 1963, at the age of thirty. Her death, combined with the posthumous publication of Ariel, cemented her tragic legacy in literary history.
Did Sylvia Plath win any major awards?
In 1982, she was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for The Collected Poems. This recognition came nearly two decades after her death and affirmed her lasting impact on American letters.
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