The following photographs were sent from Tristine Skyler of Sylvia Plath's induction in to the Poets Corner at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine. The first is of Karen Kukil with Susan Plath Winston (Warren Plath's daughter). They are standing by the plaque. The second picture is of the plaque with the quote "This is the light of the mind, cold and planetary", which is beautiful first line of "The Moon and the Yew Tree."
Update 12:39 pm, 8 November:
Jessica Ferri covered the event and has a post on the New Yorker's blog about it. Read "The American Poets’ Corner Inducts Sylvia Plath" here.
Update 12:39 pm, 8 November:
Jessica Ferri covered the event and has a post on the New Yorker's blog about it. Read "The American Poets’ Corner Inducts Sylvia Plath" here.
From the time it was announced until now, we have not heard ONE word from Frieda about this induction. Weird. I would think she would write a little article somewhere. It saddens me that there hasn't been anything. I hope she is just as happy about this induction as she is her father's.
ReplyDeleteAmy
Honestly, I expected Frieda to be there too. It's wonderful that Plath's niece was there, and thanks for the photo! And this audacious ignoring of the event by media is beyond me.
ReplyDeleteFrieda has been like way silent - not even a peep - regarding "Last Letter".
ReplyDeleteShe was probably invited to the Induction, right? She must have had her reasons for not attending.
Normally one sees those dates separated by a dash on a headstone: this gives one the idea of what Plath's headstone in Heptonstall would look like. It all centres up pretty nicely, no?
Ferri is inconsistent; seems hasty. I want to like her writing, but it's just blah. Could've been better.
ReplyDelete"Just before she died" makes it sound like this was the last thing she wrote, rather than something that was written months before...
The recording played was likely the British Council recording with Peter Orr. This was not a BBC recording as Peter pointed in earlier this year.
Most importantly, there is no line break in "This is the light of the mind, cold an planetary." There is a comma, though.
Still, great to see it covered somewhere else other than Peter's blog.
~MV
I feel like this is the headstone Sylvia should have had.
ReplyDeleteRE: Frieda, she is the message of the yew tree, no? "--blackness and silence."
Perhaps what Frieda Hughes didn't want is lots of press attention focussed on HER. We know that some sections of the press are not exactly known for their tactfulness, don't we ? Not only is she the daughter of very famous poets (who people tend to get polarized about), she has also suffered the loss of her brother in tragic circumstances in the recent past.
ReplyDeleteI don't KNOW, because I don't know Frieda Hughes. But maybe this is why she wasn't there ?
It looks like a beautiful and happy occasion.
Nicely pointed out, Panther. Sometimes we lose sight of the real feelings.
ReplyDeleteDecent point Panther but Frieda's not really that much of a celebrity. There would have been the option to attend, show support & request to be left alone by the media (that didn't show up anyway)!
ReplyDeleteHer behaviour in the past about her mother & her mother's side of the family suggests this was not a priority for her (bet she's at Westminster Abbey for Daddy!).
Absolute silence is worst than words...
~MV
I was there and it was an intense night. I wanted to do all kinds of networking for my upcoming YA Book, AND THEN THINGS FALL APART, which is about a girl who gets through the worst summer of her life by finding solace in The Bell Jar. But it was a somber event and I was very moved by the whole thing. I think it was the first time I thought of Plath as a flesh and blood person and not just a voice. It was great. I should have chatted more with the Plathians. I am one of you too!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, I daresay she would be at the Hughes event, yes. (Has it happened already, I wonder ?) . .I get the impression she's very conflicted about her parents and their lives. . .and that's not surprising.
ReplyDeleteTed was the only parent she can remember I think it's worth pointing this out.
I suspect that Frieda gets in trouble with some part of the public whether she attends or not. When she writes articles, she tends to get criticized for seeking the attention of the public that she so often derides. So it may be that she has decided that remaining out of the public eye is best. I don't blame her.
ReplyDelete--Jim Long