Born: 27 October 1932, United States
Died: 11 February 1963
Country most active: United States
Also known as: NA
The following (also here)is republished with permission from the Boston Women’s Heritage Trail.
Sylvia Plath (1932-1963) was a poet and novelist. Her novel, A Bell Jar, and volumes of poetry were published during her lifetime and she was awarded a Pulitzer Prize posthumously for her collected poems. Plath and her husband, the English poet Ted Hughes, lived at this address in 1958, during which time she took Robert Lowell’s class at Boston University and met Anne Sexton in that class. She also worked part-time transcribing patient records at Massachusetts General Hospital. Plath was born in Jamaica Plain, moved to Winthrop and then Wellesley with her family. She graduated from Smith College and studied in England where she met Hughes. They married in 1956 and had two children.
Plath’s poetry, characterized by its intense emotion and stark imagery, garnered widespread acclaim. After her suicide at age 30, she became an icon, especially in the 1970s. Her book Ariel is one of the best-selling poetry volumes of the 20th century. Plath was married to English poet Ted Hughes, and they had two children together. Her work continues to influence and resonate with readers worldwide.