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The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

by Sylvia Plath, Karen V. Kukil (Editor)

4.25 of 5 stars 4.25 · rating details · 6,652 ratings · 238 reviews

First U.S. Publication

A major literary event--the complete, uncensored journals of Sylvia Plath, published in their entirety for the first time.

Sylvia Plath's journals were originally published in 1982 in a heavily abridged version authorized by Plath's husband, Ted Hughes. This new edition is an exact and complete transcription of the diaries Plath kept during the last tw...more

Paperback, 732 pages

Published October 17th 2000 by Anchor (first published 1982)

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Dec 10, 2012 Y. Jacintho Bloom rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Problem of Sylvia Plath, Her Poetry, and the Necessity of Her Journals

Because of her suicide at the age of 30, many critics have labeled her either immature or hysterical--while other critics have taken it upon themselves to defend her integrity. Those, who have championed her work, find they do so at personal cost. Unfortunately, her personal life, and the circumstances surrounding her death have had an adverse effect on how she is read.

Quite instinctively, one knows the implications that m...more

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Dec 24, 2011 Venus rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literature

برگشته‌ام خانه. موهایم را شانه زده‌ام. لباس خواب به تن کرده‌ام و منتظرم خوابم ببرد. امشب میهمانی رونمایی بود. کتابم چاپ شد، بالاخره. مدت‌ها بود منتظر فرارسیدن چنین شبی بودم. حالا آن شب فرا رسیده، تمام شده و منتظرم خوابم ببرد. سرخورده‌ام؟ نمی‌دانم. انتظار داشتم منتقد دیلی تلگراف برایم هورا بکشد؟ نمی‌دانم. تنها این را می‌دانم که اتفاق‌ها در ذهن من پررنگ‌تر و شفاف‌تر و هیجان‌انگیزترند. در زندگی واقعی اما همه‌چیز دو پرده مات‌تر است، معمولی‌تر. اتفاق، می‌افتد و تو با خودت فکر می‌کنی ارزش این‌همه تب و...more

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Aug 10, 2007 brook rated it 3 of 5 stars

it is a chilling experience to read this. if you keep a journal of your own you probably understand how odd it is to imagine people around the world curling up with it/them. i am a self-admitted voyeur so i couldn't resist this glimpse into her mind.

as always, ted had a say in what we (and more importantly, her children) would know of her:

"I destroyed [the last of her journals] because I did not want her children to have read it (in those days I regarded forgetfulness as an essential part of su...more

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Nov 18, 2011 Gary rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sylvia-plath, own, favorites

This is the book that introduced me to Sylvia Plath. Her poetry and 'The Bell Jar' would follow. I came to appreciate her love for just writing. She can make the most mundane interesting. To truly have a complete picture of Sylvia Plath, 'The Journals' are integral. One of my great thrills was to visit Smith College, and meet Karen Kukil and actually pick up and read the actual journals. In the Mortimer rare book room, I was also able to see the drafts of her poems written on the pink Smith Coll...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Marios rated it 4 of 5 stars

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ClDFm...

0:02 Beginning theme, comforting, like her first diary entries, sounds to me like: it is, it is gonna be ok, it is, it is gonna be ok...

"...I love people. Everybody. Every story, every incident, every bit of conversation is raw material for me...I have to live my life, it's the only one I'll ever have."

00:21 and the theme repeats, but a little stronger this time, more emotional, deeper bass, deeper her love for life:

"...I want to live and feel all the sh

...more http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ClDFm...

0:02 Beginning theme, comforting, like her first diary entries, sounds to me like: it is, it is gonna be ok, it is, it is gonna be ok...

"...I love people. Everybody. Every story, every incident, every bit of conversation is raw material for me...I have to live my life, it's the only one I'll ever have."

00:21 and the theme repeats, but a little stronger this time, more emotional, deeper bass, deeper her love for life:

"...I want to live and feel all the shades, tones, and variations of mental and physical experience possible in my life"

00:40, the pace slows, in her journals the first shadows, signs of depression, contemplation:

"Yes there is joy, fulfillment and companionship - but the loneliness of the soul in its appalling self-consciousness, is horrible and overpowering -"

01:01 tempo is rising, as her spirits, she has a nice life to look forward. College begins, dates, dreams of her perfect man. It seems...

01:17 IT IS, it is gonna be ok, beginning theme comes again, symbolizes her first writing recognition. She is offered scholarships, money, she has a relationship.

"...I am not ugly, not an imbecile, not poor, not crippled...I am going for hardly any money at all to one of the best colleges. I have earned $1000 by writing. Hundreds of ambitious girls would like to be in my place. They write me letters... Five years ago if I could have seen myself now, I would have said: That is all I could ever ask!"

But then... 01:36... a realization dawns on her

"...and there is the fallacy of existence: the idea that one would be happy forever and aye with a given situation or series of accomplishments. Why did Virginia Woolf commit suicide? Or Sara Teasdale..."

Something is wrong with her too, she feels it, the dream of a happy life gets shattered, pounded again and again by strong bass piano chords all leading to November 3, 1952:

"I am afraid...I want to kill myself, to escape from responsibility, to crawl back abjectly in the womb. I do not know who I am, where I am going - and I am the one who has to decide the answers to these hideous questions"

1:54. Beginning theme emerges but stops, only the first notes are played, leaving the statement unconcluded. Is it gonna be ok?
Is it?
Is it?

24 August 1953, she reaches for the bottle of pills...(less)

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Oct 12, 2007 PryncessBelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2007, 2008

There were moments reading this book that I had to put it down because the feelings are so vivid you feel like an intruder.

There are quotes from her journal that decribe in dark detail the feelings that I am sure many women feel as they are on their own for the first time, falling in love, broken hearted, scared of failure, married, alone...

Loved this book.

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Jun 03, 2008 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

The depth of this woman never ceases to amaze me. I spent three months meticulously combing through her journal entries for a paper I was working on in graduate school. Though I've always been a huge fan of Plath (me and every other woman under thirty), I probably never would have picked up this book if it weren't for this paper. I'm very grateful that I did.

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Feb 26, 2012 Anne Nikoline rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: hardcore fans of Plath

Recommended to Anne Nikoline by: book club

Shelves: memoir, read-in-2012, book-club, based-on-reality

The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath by Sylvia Plath is the authors very own, not to forget very private, words which she wrote down in her journal. There cannot be any doubt that the author lived a hectic life with depression with a lot of downs and not so many ups, but nevertheless it was all written in a beautiful language so rich on life that it could bloom flowers.

That said, i believe only the hardcore fans of Sylvia Plath should read her unabridged journals. I've read only a little of h...more

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Apr 01, 2009 Catherine Roehl rated it 5 of 5 stars

It's astounding how much I relate to Sylvia in these journals. I think all feminine beings need to read this. Her entries are honest and raw: revealing her sensitivities, obsessions, routines, insecurities...

More intimate than any of her poetry books, Plath's journals offer greater insight into both her personal and literary struggles.

This book is of great value to me: and I'm sure I will continue referring to it for many years.

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Feb 23, 2013 Kaia James rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a book I picked up for my 12 Books A Year challenge and, had it not been for that, I doubt I would have finished. Not because it wasn't enjoyable, but because it was *so* long and dense. I'm not quite sure what the best approach to take is when it comes to reading unabridged journals of prolific authors, but I don't recommend trying to sit down and read it cover to cover.

That being said, it was profoundly interesting in that voyeuristic kind of way. Her journals take us through her year...more This is a book I picked up for my 12 Books A Year challenge and, had it not been for that, I doubt I would have finished. Not because it wasn't enjoyable, but because it was *so* long and dense. I'm not quite sure what the best approach to take is when it comes to reading unabridged journals of prolific authors, but I don't recommend trying to sit down and read it cover to cover.

That being said, it was profoundly interesting in that voyeuristic kind of way. Her journals take us through her years at Smith when she was focused on her sexuality, though her somewhat rocky marriage with Ted Hughes and end at the pregnancy of her first child. Plath is incredibly frank in her journals, and writes candidly about her hatred for her mother, her conflict between wanting to be an independent writer but also feeling pressured into traditional roles of housewife and motherhood, and her worsening depression. For me, I found the descriptions of her relationship with Ted Hughes most intriguing, but they also felt me leaving dissatisfied because there were many omissions. Virtually nothing, for example, was written about their courtship. She mentions meeting him once, and then in a second entry writes about wanting to see him again, and then we skip forward a year when the two have already married. Ted was the more successful of the two, but he also struggled with depression and was faced with numerous rejections. Although he wasn't a typical breadwinner, he was still the "man of the house" who made the decisions, and Plath, working herself, still felt the need to perform the house work and cook his meals. The journals cover the first three years of the marriage, and it is easy to see her esteem for him falling within those three years.

However, this isn't just a collection of thoughts and feelings. Plath also used her journals to outline ideas for stories and poems, as well as titles (The Bell Jar wasn't specifically mentioned, but she makes a reference to being trapped in a bell jar while at Smith--I wonder if she looked back on her journals to put herself back in the late adolescent state of mind?)

Yes, it was long, but it was fascinating, and it makes you want to create, create, create. Plath was gifted, but she was also dedicated to her craft, and part of her success was her relentless commitment to writing. I highly recommend it (but don't be afraid to take your time.

FAVOURITE QUOTES: I have the choice of being constantly active and happy or introspectively passive and sad. Or I can go mad by ricocheting in between.

I love people. Everybody. I love them, I think, as a stamp collector loves his collection. Every story, every incident, every bit of conversation is raw material for me. My love's not impersonal yet not wholly subjective either. I would like to be everyone, a cripple, a dying man, a whore, and then come back to write about my thoughts, my emotions, as that person. But I am not omniscient. I have to live my life, and it is the only one I'll ever have. And you cannot regard your own life with objective curiosity all the time. (less)

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Dec 05, 2012 Melissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

In the Preface of The Unabridged Journals of Synthia Plath, or SP as she is come to be referenced, Karen V. Kukil, the editor of the novel, admits to having only changed or omitted twelve lines in the entire journal. Every other snarky comment, random thought, and personal most inner feeling is that of Sylvia Plath. The novel is a collection of Plath's journals, so it is assumed that she never truly intended on anyone else reading them. She writes in a very uncensored tone which is only expected...more In the Preface of The Unabridged Journals of Synthia Plath, or SP as she is come to be referenced, Karen V. Kukil, the editor of the novel, admits to having only changed or omitted twelve lines in the entire journal. Every other snarky comment, random thought, and personal most inner feeling is that of Sylvia Plath. The novel is a collection of Plath's journals, so it is assumed that she never truly intended on anyone else reading them. She writes in a very uncensored tone which is only expected from the journals of a young woman.

There is no true theme to the novel considering it is a chronologically based non-fiction novel. The reasoning behind the journals being published, however, was for people to get an idea of what was going on in Plath's mind. She was unlike any other writer, or woman for that matter, of her time. She knew that she suffered from mental illness, and she continued to write even after. She took her illness and used it in the most positive of ways--as inspiration for her work.

The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath would easily be considered a narrative because of its chronological order and the story it tells of one woman's life. The most interesting and, frankly, haunting part of the narrative is that it's told from the woman's point of view. The style was completely effective because readers were given the chance to get a better understanding of Ms. Plath and why she made the choices that she made in life. She was a very smart woman who suffered from a very serious illness. Getting to see the inner workings of the mental illness is no only interesting, but also an honor.

I gave this book five stars because I absolutely loved it. I found the author to be completely fascinating. Her thoughts were completely relatable at times, and then absolutely out of this world at others. Having knowledge on how Plath's life pans out makes reading the novel that much more mysterious. Getting to see her point of view on the sensitive topics of her life is absolutely incredible.(less)

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Sep 04, 2009 Kaci added it

Well, I'm not sure I can say I READ this entire book. More like thoroughly skimmed. There were parts I read with great intensity. I decided that if I ever wrote a big research paper, I would do it on people like Sylvia Plath, creative geniuses that were also depressive, creative, artistic, demented, and dealing with their own demons that they didn't know how to exercise. Dustin and I watched a documentary this week about songwriter Daniel Johnston. They started comparing him to other manic depre...more

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Oct 05, 2012 Claudia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: letteratura-americana

Comprendere una persona è piuttosto difficile, tanto più una figura complessa come Sylvia Plath. Ho letto diversi suoi lavori: poesie, alcuni racconti e il suo unico romanzo. In generale, attraverso la lettura, si può provare a capire di più il personaggio dello scrittore, soprattutto quando sono in buona parte autobiografici, come negli scritti della Plath. Eppure, è stato solo attraverso i Diari che ho letto ciò che realmente provava Sylvia Plath e ciò che pensava. Qui si possono leggere le su...more Comprendere una persona è piuttosto difficile, tanto più una figura complessa come Sylvia Plath. Ho letto diversi suoi lavori: poesie, alcuni racconti e il suo unico romanzo. In generale, attraverso la lettura, si può provare a capire di più il personaggio dello scrittore, soprattutto quando sono in buona parte autobiografici, come negli scritti della Plath. Eppure, è stato solo attraverso i Diari che ho letto ciò che realmente provava Sylvia Plath e ciò che pensava. Qui si possono leggere le sue vere emozioni perché nei Diari Sylvia scriveva per se stessa e non per il pubblico. Credo che stia qui la differenza. Quando si ostinava a scrivere poesie e prose doveva scrivere per vendere, per pubblicare, per guadagnare; mentre nei Diari riportava su carta per se stessa le sue passioni, i suoi successi o le sue delusioni. Così facendo, ci ha lasciato in eredità dei documenti fondamentali per capire quanto lei davvero fosse geniale.
La scrittura per questa ragazza americana era uno dei mezzi di interpretazione ed espressione della vita, lei voleva esprimere tutto ciò che a parole non riusciva a formulare. Paradossalmente, Sylvia non era mai soddisfatta del suo lavoro, perché certe cose sono troppo difficili da descrivere o si dà loro troppa drammaticità oppure le si sminuisce troppo. Per Sylvia ogni compagna del college era più brava di lei e ogni racconto che leggeva sulle riviste o sui quotidiani era meglio dei suoi. La Plath ha vissuto quasi tutta la sua vita con questo drammatico senso di inadeguatezza verso il mondo, un mondo malvagio che pian piano la schiacciava.
Una sensibilità estrema come la sua non è stata compresa dagli editori e dai lettori del suo tempo. Allora ad ogni rifiuto editoriale, lei rispondeva componendo altre poesie, altri racconti, fin quasi all’ossessione. Solo pochissimi suoi lavori sono stati pubblicati mentre era ancora in vita, riscuotendo ben poco successo. La sua raccolta poetica, Ariel, è stata pubblicata solo dopo la sua morte e lei ha composto buona parte delle poesie negli ultimi mesi di vita.
Lo schiacciante senso di inadeguatezza e di incapacità ha fatto sì che già da ragazza Sylvia, ancora studentessa al prestigioso Smith College, tentasse il suicidio (descritto poi con freddezza e distacco nella poesia Lady Lazarus).
Ma a nulla sono valsi l’amore della madre e soprattutto l’amore verso i suoi due figli, Frieda e Nicholas. Nulla avrebbe potuto fermare le intenzioni di Sylvia, nessuno avrebbe potuto immaginare cosa la scrittrice avesse in mente di mettere in pratica l’11 febbraio del 1963, durante quel dannato, gelido inverno inglese.
Nei Diari di Sylvia si legge: “so che non avrò vissuto finché la mia vita non sarà perpetuamente rinnovata nel tempo attraverso libri e racconti”.
Non hai vissuto invano, Sylvia, non hai solo saputo aspettare. Il pubblico di allora non ti ha capita, ma tu eri brava a scrivere, caspita se eri brava. Hai scritto che eri stufa di citare gli altri autori: avresti voluto essere citata tu.
Sylvia, avresti solo dovuto attendere, ma per te in quel momento il mondo doveva proprio finire.
(less)

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Aug 03, 2011 Christina Bouwens rated it 5 of 5 stars

A real pot-boiler! Certainly, this is a dense collection insofar as it is highly evocative of a time, a place, a woman in crisis -- her emotions, thoughts, conflicts roar off the page into a reader's heart. Anyone curious about Sylvia Plath as not only a poet, but a woman of the 50s, and perhaps as a feminist icon or a psychological study will be sorely mistaken not to delve into this collection. Plath was a phenomenal woman of the past mid-century, and such a loss to the literary world. Her jou...more

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Jan 28, 2013 May rated it 3 of 5 stars

I finally finished (albeit power-skimming last 150 pages) The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath, and I definitely think I would have been content with the heavily abridged version...
Nonetheless, when is it not enlightening to be exposed to the ramblings of a poet, especially Plath, with her bipolar disorder and sensitivity to the world?

It was greatly gratifying to be able to draw huge correlations between her journal entries and her famous poems (ESPECIALLY DADDY - it makes a ton more sense no...more

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Mar 05, 2013 A rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: grrc-2013, reviewed

I can’t remember where I read it but I recall someone mentioning how worrying it was to relate so much to someone who’s life ended so tragically (or as they so bluntly put it 'someone who stuck her head in an oven'). That stuck with me as my interest in Plath and my knowledge of her and her work grows and especially now that I’ve read her diaries.

The amount of identifying I did with Plath in her diaries early on was of some distress to me. She took feelings, vaguely formed thoughts that had bee...more

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Dec 29, 2008 Lightreads rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, biography, memoir, history

This just in: Sylvia Plath's journals? kind of a downer.

Also disorganized, vast, incredibly rich. I enjoyed the early college years the most, when she's all casually fantastic writing and cycling ecstasy and alienation. The later stuff is heavier with self-consciousness and deeply frustrating relationships with men. She's one of those people that I would be friends with and love dearly, but every year or so I would lose it and snap "oh just fucking deal with it," at her.

But man could she write....more

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Jun 20, 2012 Luna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: لیسانس

سیلویا رو اولین بار با یه تئاتر شناختم. سال 84 توی جشنواره تیاتر فجر یه نمایشی دیدم از خانم چیستا یثربی به نام "یک شب دیگر هم بمان سیلویا" که بر اساس زندگی سیلویا پلات نوشته شده بود. اون نمایشنامه منو مجذوب شخصیت سیلویا کرد

این کتاب اولین کتابی بود که راجع بهش خوندم. عجیب اونجا که گاهی "عین" جملاتی که تو خاطره هاش بود رو من یه جایی تو یادداشت هام نوشته بودم! خلاصه این احساس نزدیکی با سیلویا باعث شد من تمام کتاب هایی که مربوط به سیلویا بود و به فارسی ترجمه شده بود رو بخونم

فیلمی هم به نامش ساخته ش...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Alex rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: bio, non-fiction, poetry

It's hard to rate a book that is simply a collection of an amazing artist's thoughts over her short and difficult life. However I gave it 5 stars for the fact that the journal entries, much as her poetry did, lays bare the inner workings of her mind. It is a fascinating and at times confusing read but you learn to take it all in whether you feel an understanding for her or not. A thick book, take it in small doses with her poetry and you will come away with a real sense of Plath as an artist. In...more

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Jul 08, 2009 Susan Katz rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography-memoir

This is a book that would probably be best read the way it was written, a page or two at a time over a period of years. Roughly 700 pages at one gulp can be an overdose. Plath is a good writer and a perceptive and intelligent woman, but living inside her head for very long isn't comfortable even for an observer. Knowing the ending in advance, of course, gives the reader an edge on Plath and adds an unintended layer of irony to many entries and an involuntary little shiver to comments like "I des...more

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Jun 29, 2012 Maria Ch rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favourites

I’ve always wanted to get an insight into the mind of a literary figure, and what a better opportunity than a 750 account that covers more than a decade in the mind and everyday life of such a prominent female literary figure such as Sylvia Plath.

I ended up highlighting many passages throughout the entries, especially the ones in which she is struggling with her inner demons of wanting to write and not knowing whether she can do it, whether she is actually good enough, with the luxury and advant...more

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Jul 11, 2012 Adél rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Adél by: könyvtár

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Elég nehéz egy naplóhoz kritikusan hozzáállni. Legrejtettebb dolgait ossza meg az ember a naplójában, azt közöl, amit akar. Kilátást ad egy ember legbelsőbb gondolataihoz, érzéseihez, ezért őszinte, szókimondó. Nem fogok hazudni, nehezén rágtam át magam az 500 oldalas könyvön.
Az első 100 oldalra ha tehetném külön 5 csillagot adnék, de nem tehetem meg. Ott magamhoz nagyon közelállónak éreztem a kamaszlány Sylvia Plath-ot, akinek nehézségei vannak az egyetemen, kétségei vannak önmagával, a tehe...more Elég nehéz egy naplóhoz kritikusan hozzáállni. Legrejtettebb dolgait ossza meg az ember a naplójában, azt közöl, amit akar. Kilátást ad egy ember legbelsőbb gondolataihoz, érzéseihez, ezért őszinte, szókimondó. Nem fogok hazudni, nehezén rágtam át magam az 500 oldalas könyvön.
Az első 100 oldalra ha tehetném külön 5 csillagot adnék, de nem tehetem meg. Ott magamhoz nagyon közelállónak éreztem a kamaszlány Sylvia Plath-ot, akinek nehézségei vannak az egyetemen, kétségei vannak önmagával, a tehetségével és az egész világgal szemben. A világhoz, a férfiakhoz való hozzáállása, olyan mintha az én eddig ki nem mondott gondolataimat tükrözné. A nőknek választania kell a család, a férj, a gyerek, a karrier, az utazás között és nem lehet minden az övé, míg a férfiak mindent megszerezhetnek és nem kell választaniuk. A nőkkel szembeni elvárásokat a nő már nem várhatja el egy férfivel szemben. Rengeteg gondolata, eszmefuttatása gondolkodtatott el. Rengeteg mindenben igaza volt és sok minden a mai napig igaz és nem változott semmi az 1950-60as évek óta.
Sajnáltam, hogy sok kihagyás van a naplóban. Nem tudom, hogy tényleg nem írt vagy azok a naplórészletek nincsenek meg, vagy nem engedték, hogy mindent közöljenek. Ez nem számít. Az esküvője, a gyerekek születése. Szívesen láttam volna, hogy milyen gondolatok zajlanak a fejében, amikor nem a kétségeivel és a démonjaival hadakozik. Azt viszont lehet tudni, hogy az akkor már volt férj Ted Hughes Sylvia öngyilkossága után megsemmisítette az utolsó hónapok naplóit. Megértem azt is, hogy miért tette (nem szerette volna, hogy a gyerekei később elolvassák), de kíváncsi lettem volna, hogy mi zajlik le S. fejében az öngyilkosság előtti időkben. Így nem kapunk semmilyen választ arra, hogy miért. Őszintén én is a miért tette? kérdésre kerestem a könyv végén a választ. Az utolsó bejegyzésekben nem egy idillien boldog S.-val találkozunk, de fogalmam sincs hogyan jut el ahhoz, hogy véget vessen az életének. Ott voltak a gyerekek és a "csodálatos" férj, akivel egynek érzi magát. Lehet, hogy öngyilkosságában nagy szerepet játszott szeretett férjében való csalódás (megcsalta) és a válás. Sajnos az ezekben az időkben írt naplórészletek azok, amik meg vannak semmisítve. Szerintem ezekben sok felvethető kérdésre találnánk választ. Van egy olyan érzésem, hogy Ted Hughes önmagát is megakarta védeni a naplók megsemmisítésével, de ez csak lehet, hogy én gondolom így.(less)

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Oct 27, 2011 Roberta rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008

La scrittura è un rito religioso: è un ordine, una riforma, una rieducazione al riamore per gli altri e per il mondo come sono e come potrebbero essere. Una creazione che non svanisce come una giornata alla macchina da scrivere o in cattedra. La scrittura resta: va sola per il mondo. Tutti la leggono, vi reagiscono come si reagisce a una persona, a una filosofia, a una religione, a un fiore: può piacergli o meno. Può aiutarli o meno. La scrittura prova delle emozioni per dare intensità alla vita...more La scrittura è un rito religioso: è un ordine, una riforma, una rieducazione al riamore per gli altri e per il mondo come sono e come potrebbero essere. Una creazione che non svanisce come una giornata alla macchina da scrivere o in cattedra. La scrittura resta: va sola per il mondo. Tutti la leggono, vi reagiscono come si reagisce a una persona, a una filosofia, a una religione, a un fiore: può piacergli o meno. Può aiutarli o meno. La scrittura prova delle emozioni per dare intensità alla vita: offri di più, indaghi, chiedi, guardi, impari e modelli: ottieni di più: mostri, risposte, colore e forma, sapere. All'inizio è un atto gratuito. Se ti fa guadagnare, tanto meglio. All'inizio non lo fai per soldi. Non è per soldi che ti siedi alla macchina da scrivere. Non che non ti piacerebbe. E' così bello quando un mestiere ti paga da mangiare. Con la scrittura non si sa mai. Come vivere nell'insicurezza? E, peggio ancora, con il rischio ogni tanto di fallire o perdere la fede nella scrittura stessa? Come vivere con tutto questo?
La cosa peggiore, peggiore di tutto, sarebbe vivere senza scrittura. E allora, come vivere con i mali minori e sminuirli ancora?

Non conosco l'opera della Plath (a parte una piccola raccolta di sue poesie acquistata da adolescente) ma ho scelto comunque di leggere questo volume perchè le (auto)biografie di scrittori - un genere non molto quotato qui in Italia - mi affascinano profondamente. Ovviamente in questo caso non si tratta di una vera e propria autobiografia, bensì della raccolta dei diari scritti dalla poetessa Sylvia Plath che coprono quasi tutta la sua vita, dall'adolescenza fin quasi alla morte avvenuta nel 1963 per suicidio. La raccolta non è completa per due motivi. Prima di tutto la curatrice, Frances McCullough, ha operato una selezione occupandosi di inserire delle brevi annotazioni nei casi in cui i tagli o la natura stessa del carteggio originale non permettessero di comprendere qualche punto fondamentale. In secondo luogo, il marito della Plath, Ted Hughes, bruciò una parte dei diari, la parte più dura e straziante. Ted Hughes si giustifica dicendo di aver operato questa scelta per evitare che i figli leggessero quelle pagine, e sebbene sia frustrante pensare a una simile distruzione, questo atto risulta pienamente comprensibile ai miei occhi (anzi, mi stupisce che il marito abbia permesso la pubblicazione di questi diari anche se epurati). Infine uno dei taccuini (sempre relativo agli ultimi anni di vita dell'autrice) fu perso.
Sylvia Plath era una giovane donna molto intelligente e creativa che desiderava affermarsi nella vita con il suo talento di scrittrice e si interrogava fin da giovane sulle possibilità di conciliare questa esigenza con una vita matrimoniale. Questa ansia di fare e di vivere si accompagnava però a crisi depressive molto profonde (già molto prima della sua morte Sylvia aveva tentato il suicidio). E' estremamente interessante vedere come si interrogò sempre sul modo di conciliare i vari aspetti della sua vita. Una lettura notevole.(less)

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Mar 05, 2012 Anja Weber rated it 5 of 5 stars

Most interesting as novel journal about one life which was as gift of God's...
This is book which I am reading as support and best guide for life and love..
Why Sylvia made such choice in her life..? That was her decision.. as pure moment of free will! But pain, suffering and doubled personality as eroticism and thanatos MAYBE was another reason of her departing with world..
I will read this book always..,this is something like book for ever..
Now I am translating the Journals on Serbian language....more

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Oct 15, 2011 Alison rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Alison by: the universe

Gripping in so many ways. The obvious: she was brilliant. The shit I didn't expect: to relate so strongly. Sometimes I read a passage thinking "When did I find a time machine and go back to 1951 to mess with history?" because surely those words/feelings/observations/hopes/terrors were plucked straight out of my own noggin. A bit worrisome. (Given her fate)

"When sick (both physically, as symptoms slowed, and mentally, as I was trying to escape from something) I wanted to withdraw from all the pai...more

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Feb 23, 2013 Zlatina Mitova rated it 5 of 5 stars

Quotes:

______________________________

I would like to be everyone, a cripple, a dying man, a whore, and then come back to write about my thoughts, my emotions, as that person. But I am not omniscient. I have to live my life, and it is the only one I’ll ever have. And you cannot regard your own life with objective curiosity all the time...
_______________________________

"... fifteen thousand years - - - of what? We’re still nothing but animals."
_______________________________

"I have room in me for...more

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Jan 18, 2010 Maryam rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

ترس از اين كه تمامي حاشيه ها،شكل ها و رنگ هاي دنياي واقعي كه آن ها را با رنج و زحمت فراوان بازسازي كرده بودي، با عشقي حقيقي، در يك لحظه ي شك به تدريج رو به افول بگذارد و ناگهان محو شود
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چقدر پله هاي مدور واقع در برج مارپيچ ما را به جايي كه بوديم برگردانده است
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يك روز وقتي بين تخم مرغ درست كردن و شير دادن به بچه و آماده كردن شام براي دوستان همسرم گير كرده ام، برگسون يا كافكا، يا جويس را برمي دارم و به بزرگي افكاري كه نمي توانم به آن ها برسم حسرت مي خورم
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مي بايد دنياهايي را در كنار اين دنيا بسازم...more

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Oct 15, 2010 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, gilmore-girls-reading-challenge

This is a book I picked up for the Gilmore Girls challenge and, had it not been for that, I doubt I would have finished. Not because it wasn't enjoyable, but because it was *so* long and dense. I'm not quite sure what the best approach to take is when it comes to reading unabridged journals of prolific authors, but I don't recommend trying to sit down and read it cover to cover.

That being said, it was profoundly interesting in that voyeuristic kind of way. Her journals take us through her years...more This is a book I picked up for the Gilmore Girls challenge and, had it not been for that, I doubt I would have finished. Not because it wasn't enjoyable, but because it was *so* long and dense. I'm not quite sure what the best approach to take is when it comes to reading unabridged journals of prolific authors, but I don't recommend trying to sit down and read it cover to cover.

That being said, it was profoundly interesting in that voyeuristic kind of way. Her journals take us through her years at Smith when she was focused on her sexuality, trhough her somewhat rocky marriage with Ted Hughes and end at the pregnancy of her first child. Plath is incredibly frank in her journals, and writes candidly about her hatred for her mother, her conflict between wanting to be an independent writer but also feeling pressured into traditional roles of housewife and motherhood, and her worsening depression. For me, I found the descriptions of her relationship with Ted Hughes most intriguing, but they also felt me leaving dissatisfied because there were many omissions. Virtually nothing, for example, was written about their courtshop. She mentions meeting him once, and then in a second entry writes about wanting to see him again, and then we skip forward a year when the two have already married. Ted was the more successful of the two, but he also struggled with depression and was faced with numerous rejections. Although he wasn't a typical breadwinner, he was still the "man of the house" who made the decisions, and Plath, working herself, still felt the need to perform the house work and cook his meals. The journals cover the first three years of the marriage, and it is easy to see her esteem for him falling within those three years.

However, this isn't just a collection of thoughts and feelings. Plath also used her journals to outline ideas for stories and poems, as well as titles (The Bell Jar wasn't specifically mentioned, but she makes a reference to being trapped in a bell jar while at Smith--I wonder if she looked back on her journals to put herself back in the late adoelscent state of mind?)

Yes, it was long, but it was fascinating, and it makes you want to create, create, create. Plath was gifted, but she was also dedicated to her craft, and part of her success was her relentless commitment to writing. I highly recommend it (but don't be afraid to take your time...)(less)

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Aug 31, 2009 Lily Wren rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book certainly made an impact upon me and has made me want to read more about Plath. The journals follow her college years through to the birth of her children.

Plath appears extremely critical of her work and others. She constantly strives for perfection in her work and gives the impression that she thought more about the act of writing than actually did. This of course is not so.

The latter part of the journal appears more rambling, incoherent in parts and possibly give us a glimpse of her...more

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Jun 19, 2010 Niklas Pivic rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everybody

Shelves: poet, journals

As journals go, this is a very open one; even so, this version, erupted slightly before Ted Hughes' death in 1998, does not contain much after 1961, which is sad. Even if Hughes destroyed those journals, this book is a genuine treasury.

These journals contain what Plath wrote from 1950 to 1962. As such, it contains notes on her growing up; dating, life, death, school-work, her future, travelling, and very notably her success as a poet, her mood-swings and what struck me the most, her innermost th...more

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About Sylvia Plath

Sylvia Plath was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer.

Known primarily for her poetry, Plath also wrote a semi-autobiographical novel, The Bell Jar, under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas. The book's protagonist, Esther Greenwood, is a bright, ambitious student at Smith College who begins to experience a mental breakdown while interning for a fashion magazine in New York. The plot paralle...more

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“I have the choice of being constantly active and happy or introspectively passive and sad. Or I can go mad by ricocheting in between.” — 2,065 people liked it

“And when at last you find someone to whom you feel you can pour out your soul, you stop in shock at the words you utter— they are so rusty, so ugly, so meaningless and feeble from being kept in the small cramped dark inside you so long.” — 1,236 people liked it

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