Sylvia Plath, Elizabeth Sigmund, Olwyn Hughes, The Bell Jar, The Guardian and The Mail on Sunday

In case you missed it, there were two interviews posted today on The Guardian's website on the topic of Sylvia Plath and The Bell Jar. The first interview was with Plath's good friend Elizabeth Sigmund; the second with the polar opposite, Olwyn Hughes.

1963 Heinemann edition
with dedication present

Both of these women had a particular relationship to Sylvia Plath and the nature of that relationship shines through quite blindingly. The story came about largely as the result of the Faber edition of Plath's novel, which was first published under Plath's name in 1966. In this edition, and subsequent paperback editions and reprints, the dedication "for Elizabeth and David" was not included (it was included in the 1971 Harper & Row American edition and so far as I know and have looked has never been absent. The missing dedication was the subject of a 1973 TLS article by Elizabeth, which prompted an apology by Faber's Charles Monteith and a rectification of the oversight (Monteith was the recipient, himself, of what would become a rare signed copy of Plath's first poetry collection, The Colossus, published by Heinemann in 1960) .

The interviews were part of The Guardian's Reading Group which is featuring and focusing on The Bell Jar this month, moderated by Sam Jordison. Olwyn Hughes fairly goes off on her late sister-in-law while also making incendiary comments about Elizabeth Sigmund. In the past, Olwyn Hughes has commented that Plath and Hughes had met - at most - a half dozen times. This might be hyperbole. But one thing to also consider is the number of times that Olwyn, herself, was in Plath's presence, which can't have been much more.

What it comes down to is the fact that Olwyn Hughes was tasked by her brother to be the keep of Plath's literary fame. However, in her role as literary executor she failed miserably to conduct herself professionally, dispassionately, and objectively. What it further boils down to is that as her friend, Elizabeth Sigmund has behaved respectfully and with much admiration. This goes beyond to which camp you belong. Indeed, the camp boundaries have been blurring in recent years which is wonderful. These articles/interviews serve primarily to get web hits, sell newspapers, and pick open the healing scabs of old wounds and steps away from what should be a celebration of Sylvia Plath's novel that leads to a celebration of her life. I perhaps now fear what is coming down the pike as we approach 11 February.

Something else to consider this weekend...

Are you, too, chomping and desperate to get your hands on Andrew Wilson's biography Mad Girl's Love Song: Sylvia Plath and Life Before Ted? Well, we will get a bit of a taster this weekend as part of a two-week serialization in London's Mail on Sunday. Starting Sunday! And, I am told, at some point also The Observer will feature the book. Read on.

More on Wilson's book on Sunday...