Sylvia Plath
1932 – 1963
About Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath (1932–1963) was an American poet and novelist, a pioneer of confessional poetry who transformed personal suffering into some of the most technically precise verse of the 20th century. Born in Boston, she graduated summa cum laude from Smith College and won a Fulbright scholarship to Cambridge, where she met and married British poet Ted Hughes. Her semi-autobiographical novel The Bell Jar (1963) and her posthumous poetry collection Ariel (1965) secured her lasting place in literary history.
She died by suicide in London at 30 — six months after the publication of The Bell Jar under a pseudonym. Her unabridged journals, published in 2000, revealed the full scope of her intellectual ambition and creative discipline beneath the public narrative of tragic brilliance.
“The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.”
Quick Facts
- Born
- 1932
- Died
- 1963
- Lifespan
- 31 years
- Domain
- inspiration
- Quotes
- 5 collected
- Key Themes
- CreativityMindExpressionExpectationsExistence
Learn More
Wikipedia — Sylvia PlathSylvia Plath's Famous Quotes
5 quotes
“The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.”
— The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath (2000), entry from 1958
“Is there no way out of the mind?”
— From "Apprehensions" (poem) and various journal entries — consistent with documented Plath writings
“Let me live, love, and say it well in good sentences.”
— The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath (2000)
“If you expect nothing from somebody you are never disappointed.”
— The Bell Jar (1963)
“I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart. I am, I am, I am.”
— The Bell Jar (1963), Chapter 20
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Frequently Asked Questions
Sylvia Plath (1932–1963) was an American poet and novelist, a pioneer of confessional poetry who transformed personal suffering into some of the most technically precise verse of the 20th century. Born in Boston, she graduated summa cum laude from Smith College and won a Fulbright scholarship to Cambridge, where she met and married British poet Ted Hughes. Her semi-autobiographical novel The Bell Jar (1963) and her posthumous poetry collection Ariel (1965) secured her lasting place in literary history. She died by suicide in London at 30 — six months after the publication of The Bell Jar under a pseudonym. Her unabridged journals, published in 2000, revealed the full scope of her intellectual ambition and creative discipline beneath the public narrative of tragic brilliance. Sylvia Plath lived 1932 – 1963.