Sylvia Plath: Œuvres complètes chez Gallimard Quarto

Gallimard's Quarto collection publishes a comprehensive volume of Sylvia Plath's works, including poetry, short stories, her novel The Bell Jar, journal entries, biographical data, photographs, and reproductions of her paintings and drawings. The edition emphasizes Plath's literary achievement over the mythology of her suicide. Born in Boston on October 27, 1932, Plath began writing at age eight after her father's death, published her first poem at nine, and later studied at elite universities. She suffered from bipolar disorder, underwent electroshock therapy, and made multiple suicide attempts before her death in London on February 11, 1963, at age 31. The volume allows readers to experience the continuum between her published work and intimate journals, revealing how her writing is inseparable from her life. Critics have often reduced Plath to her suicide or a feminist victim narrative, but this edition aims to restore focus to her craft. Her poetry, compared to Emily Dickinson's, transformed the use of language and the first-person voice. The collection includes previously unpublished material, thanks to Ted Hughes's editorial efforts, despite controversies over his handling of her legacy.