The Massachusetts Historical Society holds the Atlantic Monthly records, 1969-1974. Of course the Atlantic has been around a long time, but these records relate to the editorship of Robert Manning. The collection includes correspondence with and records that relate to 3,200 authors. The records are stored offsite, so advance notice is required if anyone seeks to consult these records. The finding aid is online here.
There is correspondence between Olwyn Hughes and the editors at the Atlantic relating to publishing some of Sylvia Plath's and Ted Hughes's poems. These can be found in carton 9.
There are two letters from February and two from May.
1) From: Olwyn Hughes, To: Robert Manning, 2 February 1970.
This letter discusses Olwyn's assembling two volumes of Plath's uncollected poetry. She offers the following Plath poems: "Last Words," "The Tour," "Submerged", and "Gigolo" as well as six Crow poems by Ted Hughes. The year of composition - 1961, 1962, 1962, and 1963, respectively - is listed next to each poem.
2) From: Robert Manning, To: Olwyn Hughes, 24 February 1970.
Rejects all the poems by both Plath and Hughes.
3) From: Olwyn Hughes, To: Peter Davison, 4 May 1970.
Sending Davison Hughes's poem "Fighting for Jerusalem".
4) From: Peter Davison, To: Olwyn Hughes, 15 May 1970.
Rejecting poem by Hughes.
Accompanying each set of letters are editorial responses to the poems submitted. There was an overwhelming dislike of the Hughes poems, including one editor saying, "The Hughes stuff, if I understand it, offers us Crow as Everyman. A damn silly idea."
The general consensus on the Plath poems submitted in February was that they all appeared "unfinished." The reviewers each liked "Last Words" and "The Tour", and found the poem "Submerged" to be "unclear, for all its ominous message, sensuous images."
Has anyone out there ever heard of a Plath poem entitled "Submerged", purportedly written in 1962? The other poems appeared throughout 1970 in periodicals, and also appeared in either Crossing the Water (1971) or Winter Trees (1971/2).
Could "Submerged" be a variant/rejected title of an Ariel poem? Not according to a review of the drafts Ariel poems housed at Smith College. One 1962 poem published around this time is "Fearful". However, it is not out of the question that there are other poems Plath wrote in 1962 that have been suppressed?
There is correspondence between Olwyn Hughes and the editors at the Atlantic relating to publishing some of Sylvia Plath's and Ted Hughes's poems. These can be found in carton 9.
There are two letters from February and two from May.
1) From: Olwyn Hughes, To: Robert Manning, 2 February 1970.
This letter discusses Olwyn's assembling two volumes of Plath's uncollected poetry. She offers the following Plath poems: "Last Words," "The Tour," "Submerged", and "Gigolo" as well as six Crow poems by Ted Hughes. The year of composition - 1961, 1962, 1962, and 1963, respectively - is listed next to each poem.
2) From: Robert Manning, To: Olwyn Hughes, 24 February 1970.
Rejects all the poems by both Plath and Hughes.
3) From: Olwyn Hughes, To: Peter Davison, 4 May 1970.
Sending Davison Hughes's poem "Fighting for Jerusalem".
4) From: Peter Davison, To: Olwyn Hughes, 15 May 1970.
Rejecting poem by Hughes.
Accompanying each set of letters are editorial responses to the poems submitted. There was an overwhelming dislike of the Hughes poems, including one editor saying, "The Hughes stuff, if I understand it, offers us Crow as Everyman. A damn silly idea."
The general consensus on the Plath poems submitted in February was that they all appeared "unfinished." The reviewers each liked "Last Words" and "The Tour", and found the poem "Submerged" to be "unclear, for all its ominous message, sensuous images."
Has anyone out there ever heard of a Plath poem entitled "Submerged", purportedly written in 1962? The other poems appeared throughout 1970 in periodicals, and also appeared in either Crossing the Water (1971) or Winter Trees (1971/2).
Could "Submerged" be a variant/rejected title of an Ariel poem? Not according to a review of the drafts Ariel poems housed at Smith College. One 1962 poem published around this time is "Fearful". However, it is not out of the question that there are other poems Plath wrote in 1962 that have been suppressed?
Comments
Post a Comment