Sylvia Plath, 1932-1963

Pulitzer Prize winning poet.

Boston-born Sylvia published her first poem at the age of nine. She continued her studies at Smith College on scholarship, publishing her poetry in magazines and winning awards. She later received a grant to study at Cambridge University in England. There she met her future husband, poet Ted Hughes.
 
At the age of 30, in her London home, Plath killed herself by resting her head in the oven and inhaling the gas. She left milk and bread for her two children, who were sleeping upstairs.
 
Her greatness as a poet was acknowledged mainly after her death: with her second collection of poetry selling more than 500,000 copies, and her novel more than 1 million copies. In 1982, Plath became the first poet to win a Pulitzer Prize posthumously.
 

More Interesting Anecdotes:

• Her writing focused on her struggles with depression and included critical thoughts on society. In her poem “The Applicant”, for example, she portrays marriage as a sales pitch.
• She was also a visual artist. In 2017 Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery hosted an exhibition of her works.
• During her studies, she spent one month in New York City as a guest editor of Mademoiselle Magazine. The experience has inspired her semi-autobiographical novel “The Bell Jar”.
• Her suicide note had four words: “Please call Dr. Horder”.