Ariel

Sylvia Plath churned out her final poems at the remarkable rate of two or three a day, masterworks Robert Lowell describes as written by "hardly a person at all...but one of those super-real, hypnotic, great classical heroines." Even more remarkable, she wrote them during one of the coldest, snowiest winters (1962-63) Londoners have ever known. Snowbound, without central heating, she and her two children spent much of their time sniffling, coughing, or running temperatures (In "Fever 103°" she writes, "I have been flickering, off, on, off on. / The sheets grow heavy as a lecher's kiss."). Pipes froze, lights failed, and candles were unobtainable.

As if these physical privations weren't enough, Plath was out in the cold in another sense--her husband, Ted Hughes, had left her for another woman earlier that year. Despite all this (or perhaps because of it), the Ariel poems dazzle with their lyricism, their surprising and vivid imagery, and their wit. Rather than confining herself to her bleak surroundings, Plath draws from a wide array of experience. In "Berck-Plage," for instance, clouds are "electrifyingly-coloured sherbets, scooped from the freeze." In "The Night Dances," the poet stands crib-side, revelling in her son's own brand of do-si-do: "Such pure leaps and spirals--Surely they travel / The world forever, I shall not entirely / Sit emptied of beauties, the gift / Of your small breath..."

Though at times they present the reader with hopelessness laid bare, these poems also teem with the brightest shards of a life, confounding those who merely look for the words of a gloomy, dispassionate suicide. Plath rose each morning in the final months of her life to "that still blue, almost eternal hour before the baby's cry" and left us these words like "axes/After whose stroke the wood rings..." --Martha Silano

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Plath's work entices you into her world... - Rated
This is not simply a book of poetry written by a female writer. This is real, and raw. The emotion evoked and shared between reader and poet is out of this world... we are let in to Plath's world and mind. Her fears, dreams, and desires.

I would recommend this collection of poetry to anyone.

I read this alongside Sylvia Plath's 'The Bell Jar', her only novel, and it is quite amazing how the two link. The same ideas are mused over, truly showing 'The Bell jar' as an autobiography of her own life, reflected in the character Esther Greenwood.

The First Time's Always Best - Rated
This was the first poetry book I read. I knew that - after reading 'Bell Jar' - Sylvia Plath would be my favourite poet. These poems express her yearning and overall defeat. Each step is new, refreshing and it is not a saccharine read. Every element of this collection leaves you stunned and wanting to know more of Sylvia. Reading over, the poems start to form a story just as good as 'Bell Jar'. Love It
Highlights: Sheep In The Fog, Poppies In October & Daddy (just to name a few).
Disappointments: None :D

She touches the unstable in all of us... - Rated
'Ariel' is an anthology you'll return to again and again. The wonderful thing about poetry is that it is that it is for everyone. From the transcendental title poem itself (Ariel), through the turbulent and disturbing 'Daddy', to the cutting 'Edge' this anthology consumes you. Deeply personal, yet universally relevent this is Plath at her best, and yet at her worst which is an apposite description of her creative genuis. So often in life in Ted Hughs's shadow, this anthology remains true to the line 'The Woman is Perfected / Her dead body wears the smile of accomplishment' (Edge). The first performance of this poetry engages you, then every time you hear it, it means more, explores more, challenges more. Some criticise Personal Poetry for its lack of 'out-of-context' coherency, however, in this anthology Plath has suceeded in creating a whirlwind of emotion that works without any knowledge of Plath's life; however, the poems come to life the more you learn of her, the images become more horrific, or less horrific... Ariel allows you a small window into Plath's life-long journey towards the EXCITEMENT of death and the beauty and misery of that journey. This is an ameteur psychologist's dream... Buy it!

Poetry that breaks - Rated
There are few more searing books of poetry in the English language. It breaks, fragments, cuts like crystal. Hard, fragile truths. So much has been written about Plath, but it's her poetry that shines.

At last - Ariel as Plath intended - Rated
We finally have Ariel as Sylvia Plath intended it - the poems in the order left in her black ring binder in 1963. This powerful collection should be savoured and treasured more than it is. Additionally, the forward by Freida Hughes is an insightful personal memoir. Worth all the waiting.