Writing After Death

Ariel is a collection of poetry by Sylvia Plath which was originally published by her husband, Ted Hughes, after her death. The restored edition was published by their daughter, Frieda Hughes, in the style she says Plath initially intended. The fact that two people who knew Plath published her work after she died forces me to ponder the question, who takes care of an author's work after they pass away?

Ariel

The restored edition of Ariel was a beautiful way to get to know Sylvia Plath; not only is each poem carefully written, but the way in which Frieda Hughes published them (the order Plath wrote them in) makes the reader sympathize with Plath's struggles. I could really feel how she descended from optimism and happiness to thoughts that were more chaotic and depressed.

I also recommend this edition because after the last poem, Plath's daughter included the drafts of the poems and the edits Plath made to her poetry, which shows the care and planning that went in to every word. Because this book is accessible to readers and the audience can likely sympathize with the themes, I think it would also make an excellent choice for your next book club read!

Which poet should I read next?

Thanks for continuing to read my posts! To share your thoughts, questions or review requests, please comment below, email me (theopinionatedbookworm@gmail.com) or follow me on Instagram (@theopinionatedbookworm1).

Comments

Kamila Knows Best

One of the biggest regrets I had during 2021 was that I let my blog slip through the cracks...which is a pity, because I like to blog. Therefore, I have decided to write once more (hopefully more than once), because I want to talk about Kamila Knows Best by Farah Heron. You may recognize Heron's name from her previous works: The Chai Factor and Accidentally Engaged. Both of these novels were well written, humorous, and heartwarming, but I loved them all the more because they are set in Canada and written by a Canadian. Kamila Knows Best stays true to all of these points. Set in Toronto, this adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma was faithful to the original while adding twists and turns that are accurate for a modern retelling. Kamila is an accountant who loves her father, friends, dog and career deeply, but all of these things means she is too busy for a serious relationship -- or so she claims. Kamila also fancies herself a matchmaker, and takes pride in the fact th...

The End of the Reading Rut

This reading rut I was in was a painful experience that unexpectedly came to an end when I picked up Seven Days in June by Tia Williams. I was taken on an unexpected journey, torn open while reading about the love story of Eva and Shane. Now that the story is over, I wish it had never ended. 7 days to fall in love, 15 to forget Fifteen years after Eva and Shane first fell in love, they meet again during a writers panel hosted by a mutual friend. Although they had not spoken to each other since their love ended, they were forever in each other's thoughts when writing their respective novels, a fact that only they were aware of. Even after so many years, their feelings are still electrifying, but one question remains, can they overcome the events of the past? Sometimes, reading a romance novel can seem formulaic, but this story broke every formula I have ever experienced in my literary adventures. Each chapter told me something about Eva and Shane that I genuinely did not expect. On...

"So, do you miss coffee?"

Today is Monday, and I have tasked myself with the near impossible goal of writing an adequate blog post (and subsequently an Instagram post) before I have to go to work. Why does this task have such an intense deadline, you may ask. Well, I read this book, and I just cannot wait to talk about it. What would you miss... ...If you were an astronaut tasked with observing other planets in the galaxy? Try to remember, that it takes about fourteen years to get back to Earth, and just as long for a message to be sent or received. Thus, any news you receive is over a decade old, and you must spend the time you are not working in torpor, which slows your body's aging process as you move from planet to planet. This is the mission Ariadne and her crew are set with in Becky Chambers' novel, To Be Taught, If Fortunate . Although the chemistry of the crew allows them to operate more as a family than as coworkers, they still face challenges during their decades lo...

The Literary Adventures of an Opinionated Bookworm

Search This Blog