Sylvia Plath, born October 27, 1932, was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. Sylvia was just 8 years old when she published her first poem. She grew up sensitive, intelligent, and always striving for perfection and success in almost everything that she did. Sylvia had a seemingly perfect life - from being the model daughter, popularity among her peers, receiving straight A's, and attending Smith College in 1950 where she wrote over 100 poems. To say that she was a successful young woman, was an understatement. However, during the summer following her Junior year of college, Sylvia battled personal struggles, and attempted suicide by swallowing sleeping pills. Following the event, she ended up writing The Bell Jar, which was based on her experiences with depression and mental issues. The book was published in 1963.
After recovering and receiving electroshock therapy, Sylvia went on to finish at Smith College, and graduated in 1955, and winning a scholarship to study at Cambridge, England. Sylvia eventually married English poet Ted Hughes in 1956, and in 1960, her book, The Colossus, was published in England. Ted and Sylvia continued to settle in a little English village for the next couple of years, but after the couple's first child, the marriage soon fell apart.
The early 1960s were difficult for Sylvia, as she was now raising her two children in a small London flat and low on money. However, the hardness of her life seemed to help her gain inspiration, causing her to write more and more. Because she was a mother, Sylvia's only time to work was between 4 and 8 in the morning, before her children would wake up. She would usually finish a poem a day. Most of Sylvia's darker, more honest and haunting poems are seem towards the end of her life, as she grappled with her depression.
On February 11, 1963, Sylvia Plath killed herself with cooking gas - she was only 30 years old. A few years after her death, Ariel, a collection of poems that she wrote before her death, was published.
Below are a few of my favorite - and some of her most famous quotes - all plucked from her poems, and from real life.
