One of the most remarkable aspects that the British Library Spoken Word: Sylvia Plath CD—published in 2010 and lamentably out of print—captures and presents can be found in tracks 8-16, or, those from "The Living Poet" broadcast on the B.B.C.'s Third Programme. "The Living Poet" aired just about monthly and featured other Americans in 1961: Richard Wilbur, Theodore Roethke, Robert Lowell, Randall Jarrell, and Stanley Kunitz. Plath was the first female that year and shared the reading of her work with the American actor Marvin Kane. He read five poems and she read four. The introduction to that broadcast, written and spoken by Plath, is very clearly by the author of the poems of The Colossus . What I mean by this is it is eloquent, yet kind of floral. The poems, as they were recorded, are: "The Disquieting Muses" (read by SP); "Sleep in the Mojave Desert" (read by Kane); "Suicide Off Egg Rock" (read by Kane); "Spinster...

For the next seven days, I am going to suggest a perfect Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa - er, Holiday - gifts by or about Sylvia Plath. These are perfect gift ideas for friends, lovers, acquaintances, or enemies. On the first day of Plathmas my true love gave to me: A CD of rare recordings.... Day 1 - The Spoken Word: Sylvia Plath (British Library Publishing, 2010) ( Order from British Library ) ( Order from University of Chicago Press ) The Spoken Word: Sylvia Plath , with an introduction by - ahem - Peter K Steinberg, is the perfect gift for the holidays. Offering a range of rare Plath recordings, The Spoken Word is an instruction audio compilation. As you listens to Plath's speaking voice, you learn how to read those poems: the meter, the stresses, the line breaks, etc. The interviews add a human dimension to Plath, and Ted Hughes, too. The "Two of a Kind" recording is worth the price of the CD alone, offering glimpses at the poetic ideology of the 20th ce...

Like just about any other year, 2010 for Sylvia Plath was interesting and occasionally controversial. The year saw just one major publication by Plath, and that was the British Library’s Spoken Word: Sylvia Plath CD in April . I was fortunate enough to be asked to write the introduction, which was both a great honor and fun to do. If you have not yet purchased the CD or borrowed it from a library I would highly recommend you do (and not for the intro, mind you, but for the audio tracks). By ordering through the link on the sidebar of this blog you can save 10%. The Spoken Word: Sylvia Plath CD wins, hands down, for my favorite cover award of the year. The only book by Plath published this year was by Faber who published a new, hardback edition of Ariel in May , but this was of the originally published Ariel edited by Ted Hughes. Books about Plath were a little skimpy this year too; but those new books that did appear in print are considerably important and extremely valuable co...

The back of Sylvia Plath's headstone. What, can't I have a little fun? And, did you really think I wouldn't have a photograph of the back of Plath's grave? Ok, seriously, if you want to see a couple of photographs that you might not have seen before, head over to A celebration, this is to see some pictures contributed by Gail Crowther of Berck-Plage. There are three pictures that should be readily recognizable based on Plath's descriptions from this wonderful poem. And, 501 thanks to Gail for sharing them with us! And, to hear Plath reading "Berck-Plage" buy the British Library's recent CD The Spoken Word: Sylvia Plath . Plath recorded the poem for the BBC on 29 October 1962.

Univeristy of Chicago Press, who is the US distributor for the British Library's Spoken Word: Sylvia Plath , sent me an email this morning announcing that the CD was available now. I'm a little confused by this as earlier in the week I was told it would be available on 15 June. However, the website does indicate it it "available now." Remember, you can receive a 10% discount on what Lorna Bradbury of The Telegraph calls "an exquisite recording" by clicking here . Shipping is $5.

Lorna Bradbury of The Telegraph reviews the Spoken Word Sylvia Plath CD in her review, " From the Archive: The Spoken Word: Sylvia Plath ." Not perfect (Assia Wevill and Ted Hughes were not married... how many times have we been over this?) and not a complete review (its focus, like many others, is on "Two of a Kind"), but another positive opinion on the British Library publication. What I think is best about all that's been written so far is that the focus has shifted so far away from the perpetual doom & gloom opinion of Plath. The recordings show her as so lively & personable & professional. And critical, such as, in "Two of a Kind", when she turns the tables on Owen Leeming and leaves him a stumbling-bumbling mess. A true step forward.

The Spoken Word Sylvia Plath CD has reached #1 in Audio Poetry and Drama on Amazon.co.uk .

Poet, writer, and blogger P. Viktor has two reviews of the British Library's Spoken Word: Sylvia Plath CD. The first, posted on 26 April, is a review of the disc itself. Read " Sylvia Plath - The Spoken Word, Review. " The second, posted today, is a more critical look at "Two of a Kind" & the marriage of Plath and Hughes. Read " Sylvia Plath - The Spoken Word: Why the Plath-Hughes Marriage Failed. " Over at Amazon.co.uk, Cathy Earnshaw (love the name) gave a five-star review, too.

The following is a review of the British Library's recent publication The Spoken Word and is written by Dr. Gail Crowther. Sylvia Plath Speaks: a review of The Spoken Word First, there is the packaging. Slick hues of black and grey with dashes of red and yellow. The disc case sits comfortably in the palm of your hand. Turn it over to see the track listings, all the surviving BBC broadcasts from the years 1960-1963. Remove the booklet; a flash of yellow on the back page with the distinctive British Library logo. Open the first page and fall straight into Peter K Steinberg’s introduction. Sharp, authoritative and full of energy, he guides us through the contents of the CD, telling us what to listen out for, bringing alive the sound of Plath’s breath, the shuffling of her papers, the background sniggering of her interviewer as she makes another Esther Greenwood-like wisecrack. This introduction also prepares us for the sheer output and involvement that Plath had with the BBC in that...

The new British Library Spoken Word CD Sylvia Plath is garnering much interest. Concurrently, the British Library have announced the acquisition of Ted Hughes' copy of the Saint Botolph's Review , complete with wine stains from a Luke Myers bicycling accident! The news first appeared via the Herald de Paris in their article " Library Acquires Stained Ted Hughes Journal ." This timing of this acquisition, which they've known about for sometime, is likely intentional as the Spoken Word CD includes Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes in conversation discussing their lives together, how they met, etc.. How they met is the stuff of legend, captured with rapture by Plath in her journal the morning after. The Independent 's article " The Poetry of Courtship: Plath and Hughes Caught on Tape " by Jonathan Browne is a little uneven (they had been married nearly five years when the recording of "Two of a Kind" was made). The title of the article itself is a...

The newspapers and internet sources have caught wind of the British Library's newest Spoken Word CD. Rachel Hayward at Cuture24 has the distinct honor of being the first news story I've seen on this new Sylvia Plath publication. Read her " Listen to Poets Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes " here. The British Library has a nearly 8 minute podcast , too. Richard Fairman , producer of the Spoken Word series, discusses this enlightening CD which includes Sylvia Plath reading her own work and an interview with Plath and her husband, Ted Hughes, discussing their relationship and writing. Interviewed by Ellie Russell .

The Spoken Word: Sylvia Plath is published today in the United Kingdom. If you haven't already ordered your CD, click here , and enter the voucher code BLPLATHBLOG to receive 10% off your purchase. University of Chicago Press will release the CD around 1 May (this does represent a slight delay based on previous blog posts & expectations). Click here to order from them (you will also receive 10% off). The disc, which runs 73 minutes long, contains the following tracks, which are read by Plath unless otherwise noted: 1. Leaving Early 2. Candles 3. Two of a Kind (with Ted Hughes and Owen Leeming) 4. Introduction to Mushrooms 5. Mushrooms 6. Introduction to Pike (by Ted Hughes) 7. Pike (by Ted Hughes) 8. Introduction to The Living Poet 9. Introduction to The Disquieting Muses 10. The Disquieting Muses 11. Introduction to Spinster 12. Spinster 13. Introduction to Parliament Hill Fields 14. Parliament Hill Fields 15. Introduction to The Stones 16. The Stones 17. Introduction to Syl...

Recently published is Last Looks, Last Books: Stevens, Plath, Lowell, Bishop, Merrill by Helen Vendler. The deadline for general submissions for Plath Profiles 3 is next Thursday, 15 April. Submissions closed last week for special papers on "Sylvia Plath and Material Culture". Late submissions will be considered for publication in Plath Profiles 3, but may be held over at the discretion of the editors. If you pre-ordered your copy of The Spoken Word: Sylvia Plath from the British Library, look for this to ship next week as its publication date is 14 April. If you pre-ordered from University of Chicago Press, look for this after 20 April, its US publication date.

Daniel Huws' Memories of Ted Hughes is now for sale in England. Published 1 April 2010 by Richard Hollis, Amazon.co.uk (& Amazon.ca) actually list the title as being in stock. Thanks to Cath in Bath for letting us know! Anne Stevenson is interviewed by Rosita Boland in " Going Against the Grain " in Saturday's issue of the Irish Times . Birthday Letters is mentioned in " When Grief Turns to Art " by Mark Feeney in Friday's Boston Globe . I recently stumbled upon " Reading Plath " in a journal called Kingfisher. This was published on pages 1-2, in 2002's Volume One, Number Three, Seventh Edition. Plath Profiles is accepting submissions still for volume 3, due out in the summer. There are two deadlines to note. For the general issue, 15 April is the date to keep in mind. The deadline is 1 April for those submitting papers on "Sylvia Plath and Material Culture." These papers should address materiality in ...

Pre-order The Spoken Word: Sylvia Plath , the forthcoming CD published by the British Library today! Sylvia Plath Info Blog and A celebration, this is are honored to be an accredited partner with the British Library for their forthcoming release. Clicking to order through this blog or my website for Sylvia Plath will save you 10% on your order. The British Library is offering this special bonus for readers and visitors of this blog and my website. Distribution in the US will be through the University of Chicago Press . Also, I've added a link US Orders link beneath the CD cover in the sidebar. Further information for ordering through the British Library Online Shop will be posted shortly.

Look for a new CD, The Spoken Word: Sylvia Plath , published by the British Library, on 14 April 2010. Advanced orders will be accepted via the British Library's website in mid-March. Readers of this blog will be eligible for a 10% discount; look for an update here about that, also in mid-March. This is a major publication and one that will mean incredibly much to the readers of this blog. For those unfamiliar, the Spoken Word is a series by the British Library, taken from their own Sound Archives as well as from the BBC's . Of interest possibly are the two, double CD's of Ted Hughes . Other poets included in the series are Edith Sitwell , W. H. Auden, and Stevie Smith, to name but a few. Each CD in the series has an introductory essay in the booklet, which also lists the tracks, recording dates, series, etc. I'll continue below, but please read the advanced notice announcement: "Sylvia Plath is widely regarded as one of the most influential poets and authors of t...