Sylvia Plath Poems Chosen by Carol Ann Duffy

Sylvia Plath Poems Chosen by Carol Ann DuffySylvia Plath was one of the defining voices of the twentieth century, and one of the most appealing: few other poets have introduced as many new readers to poetry. The poems in this fresh and inviting edition were chosen by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy. In my selection, which is roughly chronological to shadow her progress, I have tried to walk through the landscape of Sylvia Plath's poetry as though for the first time, fifty years older than I was

just maybe

create beautiful garlands of herbs to ward off evil spirits

across the same seas

A wealthy American man of business descends on Europe in search of a wife to make his fortune complete

and coral reefs disappear from the tropics

The Transgender Issue is a landmark work that signals the beginning of a new

Hassie ruminates on her past life: the sibling rivalry that tainted her childhood and the love affair that left her with painful

'I couldn't help but feel that it was written by a friend for me' VANITY FAIR

But not between lovers - between mother and daughter

to be all we imagine ourselves to be

Never Let Me Go dramatises her attempts to come to terms with her childhood at the seemingly idyllic Hailsham School and with the fate that has always awaited her and her closest friends in the wider world

author of Ariadne'Chen earns the comparison [to Mantel] thanks to her vivid