Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath
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- Create Date：2021-12-11 06:51:25
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Heather Clark
- ISBN：030795126X
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Summary
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR - Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award -
The highly anticipated biography of Sylvia Plath that focuses on her remarkable literary and intellectual achievements， while restoring the woman behind the long-held myths about her life and art。
"One of the most beautiful biographies I've ever read。 --Glennon Doyle， author of #1 New York Times Bestseller， Untamed
With a wealth of never-before-accessed materials， Heather Clark brings to life the brilliant Sylvia Plath， who had precocious poetic ambition and was an accomplished published writer--even before she became a star at Smith College。 Refusing to read Plath's work as if her every act was a harbinger of her tragic fate， Clark considers the sociopolitical context as she thoroughly explores Plath's world: her early relationships and determination not to become a conventional woman and wife; her troubles with an unenlightened mental health industry; her Cambridge years and thunderclap meeting with Ted Hughes; and much more。
Clark's clear-eyed portraits of Hughes， his lover Assia Wevill， and other demonized players in the arena of Plath's suicide promote a deeper understanding of her final days。 Along with illuminating readings of the poems themselves， Clark's meticulous， compassionate research brings us closer than ever to the spirited woman and visionary artist who blazed a trail that still lights the way for women poets the world over。
"One of the most beautiful biographies I've ever read。 --Glennon Doyle， author of #1 New York Times Bestseller， Untamed
With a wealth of never-before-accessed materials， Heather Clark brings to life the brilliant Sylvia Plath， who had precocious poetic ambition and was an accomplished published writer--even before she became a star at Smith College。 Refusing to read Plath's work as if her every act was a harbinger of her tragic fate， Clark considers the sociopolitical context as she thoroughly explores Plath's world: her early relationships and determination not to become a conventional woman and wife; her troubles with an unenlightened mental health industry; her Cambridge years and thunderclap meeting with Ted Hughes; and much more。
Clark's clear-eyed portraits of Hughes， his lover Assia Wevill， and other demonized players in the arena of Plath's suicide promote a deeper understanding of her final days。 Along with illuminating readings of the poems themselves， Clark's meticulous， compassionate research brings us closer than ever to the spirited woman and visionary artist who blazed a trail that still lights the way for women poets the world over。
Reviews
Stefanie
，
Finished this book （finally！） and even though it's over 1100 pages， I didn't want it to end。 （Also kept hoping for an ending different than the one I obviously knew was coming。。。）。 I actually hadn't read much about Plath and hadn't read her work before this book- so this was truly educational。 I absolutely loved that the story was told from so many first hand sources- her own journals and letters， letters， journals and interviews of her husband， mother， other relatives and friends- and most inte Finished this book （finally！） and even though it's over 1100 pages， I didn't want it to end。 （Also kept hoping for an ending different than the one I obviously knew was coming。。。）。 I actually hadn't read much about Plath and hadn't read her work before this book- so this was truly educational。 I absolutely loved that the story was told from so many first hand sources- her own journals and letters， letters， journals and interviews of her husband， mother， other relatives and friends- and most interestingly， through her stories / poems and through her husband's poems （which I am reading now in his Birthday Letters collection 💔。 Also reading The Bell Jar now）。 So tragic and such a loss。 It was also such an interesting peek at the American and British literary circles in the late 50s/early 60s， as well as that historical period， generally。 。。。more
B
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WOW。 WOW。 Lots of thoughts…
Clarah
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Combining thorough analysis of Plath's outstanding literary legacy and an empathic yet nuanced examination of her personal life， Clark's ambition of portraying an often times contradicting person rather than a tragedy to feast on shines through every page。 I was astonished by the unsentimental reflections on the larger-than-life figure I've previously thought to have known， who I can know see as an extraordinary woman whose times couldn't keep up with her。 Combining thorough analysis of Plath's outstanding literary legacy and an empathic yet nuanced examination of her personal life， Clark's ambition of portraying an often times contradicting person rather than a tragedy to feast on shines through every page。 I was astonished by the unsentimental reflections on the larger-than-life figure I've previously thought to have known， who I can know see as an extraordinary woman whose times couldn't keep up with her。 。。。more
Ally
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THIS WAS JUST SO LONGI was really enjoying it， but I've been listening to it since June？ and I'm not even halfway yet， despite listening to it almost every time I went for a walk。 I need to move on。It was very informative， though。 Definitely recommend for fans of Sylvia Plath THIS WAS JUST SO LONGI was really enjoying it， but I've been listening to it since June？ and I'm not even halfway yet， despite listening to it almost every time I went for a walk。 I need to move on。It was very informative， though。 Definitely recommend for fans of Sylvia Plath 。。。more
Robert Walkley
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Absorbing。 Very detailed。 Changed the way that i think about Plath--her work， life， and death。
Victoria Schliep
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Words cannot describe
Bella
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If the moon smiled， she would resemble you。You leave the same impressionof something beautiful， but annihilating。
Marie
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This is the Plath biography we needed: deeply researched， comprehensive， and without agenda。 I can't recommend this enough。 This is the Plath biography we needed: deeply researched， comprehensive， and without agenda。 I can't recommend this enough。 。。。more
Monika Žulytė
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The author researched the subject well and refers to many primary sources （letters， diaries， poems etc。） However， it feels like it’s written by a BA student - full of unnecessary speculations that don’t sound serious nor professional， e。g。 ‘Otto’s death did not set Sylvia on poetry’s path， but it may have exacerbated her chances of suicide’。; ‘Ted Hughes’s intuitive sense that Otto’s ghost lay behind his wife’s depression and eventual suicide may have been partly correct’。 These and other senten The author researched the subject well and refers to many primary sources （letters， diaries， poems etc。） However， it feels like it’s written by a BA student - full of unnecessary speculations that don’t sound serious nor professional， e。g。 ‘Otto’s death did not set Sylvia on poetry’s path， but it may have exacerbated her chances of suicide’。; ‘Ted Hughes’s intuitive sense that Otto’s ghost lay behind his wife’s depression and eventual suicide may have been partly correct’。 These and other sentences as such sound like pop-psychology clichés or are taken from a reality show。 The book is written for people who are interested in some spicy speculations about Plath’s death， buy not more。 。。。more
josé almeida
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biografia monumental e electrizante
Gena
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This is an exceptional deep dive into the author's life。 This is an exceptional deep dive into the author's life。 。。。more
agata
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Sylvia Plath may be the only poet that I can remember exactly where and when I first heard of。 I was in 8th grade， and it was a rainy， gray morning when our literature teacher told us about this American poet and novelist who took her own life when she was only 30。 We didn't even read any of Plath's works， but something inside me wouldn't let me stop thinking about her， and I can vividly remember looking up some of her poems in the school's library。 I can also remember getting older and reading Sylvia Plath may be the only poet that I can remember exactly where and when I first heard of。 I was in 8th grade， and it was a rainy， gray morning when our literature teacher told us about this American poet and novelist who took her own life when she was only 30。 We didn't even read any of Plath's works， but something inside me wouldn't let me stop thinking about her， and I can vividly remember looking up some of her poems in the school's library。 I can also remember getting older and reading The Bell Jar， and then buying a copy of Plath's diaries。 I was fascinated by both her life and her works， so when I saw this biography， I just had to read it。 And I can honestly say that I was not disappointed。Red Comet is a magnificent book， meticulously researched and written in an approachable language。 It doesn't sensationalize Plath's suicide and it doesn't turn a blind eye to the controversies surrounding her （for example her using Holocaust imagery or the casual racism）， but it succeeds in presenting a portrait of Plath that is as unbiased as possible。 It's very long but it's definitely not dry， and it kept my interest to the last page。 It's a must-read for Plath's fans and those who would like to understand her life better。 It also offers a lot of detail about her works， so it's helpful for analyzing Plath's poems and learning the history behind them。 Red Comet is a truly incredible， stunning book， and one of the best biographies I've ever read。 。。。more
Sebastian
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First read: November 2， 2021， Tuesday
Emily Kate
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Masterful writing and research， reading this biography I feel like I am there with Sylvia living heartfully through each and every of her days。。 I have read a lot of Sylvia Plath biographies， and as a reader a lot of them have felt very wishy-washy on the details， not exactly the full story， and many paths left uninvestigated and unexplored。。。 Red Comet is not at all like that。 As a reader， we get everything， from every little habit， thought and notion to all the big life-changing events， nothin Masterful writing and research， reading this biography I feel like I am there with Sylvia living heartfully through each and every of her days。。 I have read a lot of Sylvia Plath biographies， and as a reader a lot of them have felt very wishy-washy on the details， not exactly the full story， and many paths left uninvestigated and unexplored。。。 Red Comet is not at all like that。 As a reader， we get everything， from every little habit， thought and notion to all the big life-changing events， nothing in Red Comet is unexplored and if you are a Sylvia Plath fan - This is the go-to biography to read about her。。 For me， the last 300 pages were absolutely heart-breaking， kept having to put it down to breathe， and then compulsively picking it up because the reader in me had to know each and every detail。 It's incredibly sad stuff， but the most compelling writing。 And a big high-five to Heather Clarke for all the impeccable research。。 That's all I'll say。。 but if you have read it， let me know and we can chat because it is just fantastic！ 5 stars all the way :） 。。。more
Susan Jacobs
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Wow。 A very long detailed read。 It is amazing how well documented her life is。
Theresa Schliep
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Astounding
Joann Zhang
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Very comprehensive
Ulla
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I liked what I managed to read， and would have loved to go on reading but 。 。 。 I read mostly in bed and this book is SO HEAVY！ I'll certainly borrow it again， or if there's an audio version I'd love to hear it！Yes， Audible has it！！！！！ I liked what I managed to read， and would have loved to go on reading but 。 。 。 I read mostly in bed and this book is SO HEAVY！ I'll certainly borrow it again， or if there's an audio version I'd love to hear it！Yes， Audible has it！！！！！ 。。。more
Emily
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With the exception of Robert Caro， who penned the multi-volume biography of LBJ， I’ve never seen a biographer so well-matched with her subject。 Clark may not have Plath’s brilliance （her analyses of Plath’s poems are downright stolid）， but she certainly has her drive—and commitment—to explore every aspect of her subject with fidelity and depth。 Plath’s own diaries and letters are the through line of this book。 Even if you are not a fan of Plath’s poems， you will appreciate the competence， intell With the exception of Robert Caro， who penned the multi-volume biography of LBJ， I’ve never seen a biographer so well-matched with her subject。 Clark may not have Plath’s brilliance （her analyses of Plath’s poems are downright stolid）， but she certainly has her drive—and commitment—to explore every aspect of her subject with fidelity and depth。 Plath’s own diaries and letters are the through line of this book。 Even if you are not a fan of Plath’s poems， you will appreciate the competence， intelligence， honesty， and passion with which she lived her conflicted life。 I was crushed， humbled， and just-plain moved by her story。 。。。more
Jonathan
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Such a sad， sad story。。。
Endie
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The standard has been set， by Heather Clark's seemingly exhaustive biography， that all biographies I shall read in the future will be measured by。Heather rarely muses on what the unseen truth is between the lines of limited and lost information， but when she does， I know that this is in the care of someone who has enveloped themselves so deeply in the story of another， that I can trust their judgement。 By the end of the book， I felt as though I had lost a dear friend on the 11th of February， 196 The standard has been set， by Heather Clark's seemingly exhaustive biography， that all biographies I shall read in the future will be measured by。Heather rarely muses on what the unseen truth is between the lines of limited and lost information， but when she does， I know that this is in the care of someone who has enveloped themselves so deeply in the story of another， that I can trust their judgement。 By the end of the book， I felt as though I had lost a dear friend on the 11th of February， 1963 - and yet， the only thing I can definitively say that I have in common with Plath， is that I am now the same age she was when she died。The painting Clark methodically builds over 35 chapters is so compelling， it is a veritable fiction in how attached I felt to this story。 The cracks that remain unchecked are simply life， as we experience it in the day to day， and I feel nothing is missing but the tiny piece of my heart that clung to the last page。This is worth reading， even if I might struggle to find someone to recommend it to。 。。。more
Lori Sinsel Harris
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Heather Clark has set herself to be hailed as the primary Plath scholar of our times with this， albeit lengthy and extremely detailed biography。 Heather does a fantastic job of presenting Sylvia Plath's life to us without glamorizing her death or making her death be the sole aim of her life。 She shows us just how much more there is to Sylvia beyond her tragic death。 We see a young woman of substance and depth， a young writer trying desperately to make it in what was at the time a man's world。 Fo Heather Clark has set herself to be hailed as the primary Plath scholar of our times with this， albeit lengthy and extremely detailed biography。 Heather does a fantastic job of presenting Sylvia Plath's life to us without glamorizing her death or making her death be the sole aim of her life。 She shows us just how much more there is to Sylvia beyond her tragic death。 We see a young woman of substance and depth， a young writer trying desperately to make it in what was at the time a man's world。 Focused on Plath's brilliant mind and talent as a woman writer， ahead of her time， this book is a beautifully crafted memorial to a defining figure of our times。 Plath's breakthroughs in the literary work have paved the way for literary women of today。 This is a must read for all Sylvia Plath fans and for those who love well researched， detail-oriented biographies。 Thank you to the publisher's at Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and Net Galley for the free ARC， I am leaving my honest review in return and rushing out to buy a copy as soon as possible to have on my shelf at home。 I want to have it to reread and reference as I like。 。。。more
Claudia Putnam
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Worth it。 I listened to it， which was something like 45 hours on Audible。 I was helped by two 18-hour drives， but。 I suppose with a short life even the sunbathing becomes important。 From that period， it was interesting to me to learn that it was common then， when men and women attended separate colleges， to date other men even when one was engaged or promised elsewhere。 Also her struggle to come to terms with her sexuality in a time when sexual desire was not acknowledged in women， was painful t Worth it。 I listened to it， which was something like 45 hours on Audible。 I was helped by two 18-hour drives， but。 I suppose with a short life even the sunbathing becomes important。 From that period， it was interesting to me to learn that it was common then， when men and women attended separate colleges， to date other men even when one was engaged or promised elsewhere。 Also her struggle to come to terms with her sexuality in a time when sexual desire was not acknowledged in women， was painful to read about， and also uncomfortably familiar even today。 Plath was my mother's age and I always find it interesting to read about women who managed to claim their lives， where my mother did not--she wanted， she says， to study physics， was told women couldn't do that， and meekly majored in English。 You can see it didn't go well for most women， whichever they chose。 I remain convinced that Plath was bipolar， not "just" depressed， and needed more than anything a stabilizer。 I think all they really had back then was lithium and they were basically overdosing people with it， so I can see why any artist would try to stay the hell away from it。 It's just incredibly sad--20 years later and she might have had a chance。 I remember a comment her mother made that it was just a moment--one day when she was doing worse than usual。 Stuck in a moment you can't get out of， per Bono。 That's all it ever is， which is why it's so sad。The thing is she had overcome so much and was so close。 There is no good time to abandon your mentally ill wife （esp when you yourself have often been famously depressed， described as having moods as overwhelming as the weather）， but this was a terrible thing， right then。 I also find Hughes execrable in his utter disinterest in his son。 Poor kid， whose attachment bonds were totally screwed。 So yeah， I'm judging。 I was kind of shifting to not hating Hughes so much， but here I am again。 "It was her or me，" he said repeatedly in the aftermath。 The author interprets this to mean that if he hadn't got out of the marriage he would have killed himself instead。 But I thought he was saying that he was willing to sacrifice her for his own self-fulfillment。 Which echoes something Plath said （paraphrasing）: He must know that suicide is a real risk for me now， and that means it must have been worth it to him。Obviously， one cannot and should not be blackmailed into staying in a bad relationship because of the partner's suicide risk。 But。 Still it had to be worth it to him。In any case， I want to go back and shake them both。 This thing you're chasing in woman after woman， Ted， is infatuation。 It's a drug。 Find a different one。 This thing with the kids， both of you， WILL PASS。 It gets easier。 The time between when it sucks and when it gets easier is an eyeblink when you look back at it。 Still， being a single mother with career aspirations--all careers were difficult for women then， and making a career out of poetry has been difficult for all poets at all times-- at that time and place might have been a fate that felt comparable to death。 I so related to her feelings about teaching lit/writing。 When you're an artist， your job is to art。 Other people can teach， but no one can write your poems。 Sometimes not even you。 I realize some writers love teaching and good on them for their adaptability， but I share Plath's experience and sentiment， and also Hayden Carruth's， so eloquently and painfully expressed in his memoir Reluctantly。 The best thing she did was marry someone who wanted for her what she wanted for him。 It's too bad he wouldn't stay。（I also wasn't convinced that some of the men she passed on wouldn't have been supportive of her career。 One guy didn't see her as mad， simply nonconformist， and didn't seem threatened by her originality， but she didn't give him a chance at all。 Sassoon also might have worked。） BTW as a biography it's the most comprehensive so far （and had better be， at that length）。 And it does add stuff we hadn't seen/known before。 I still wonder if Hughes really burned those last materials。 I can imagine that she might have written about her frustrations with motherhood/the kids in those last weeks and days。 If so， Hughes's assertion that he removed the journals from the record （and Plath kept EVERYTHING on the record， certain she would one day be famous） to protect the kids might make sense。 I thought I read somewhere that there's a final trunk of stuff sitting in a university archive to be opened in 2022。 Maybe some of that missing material will show up then。 。。。more
Debbie Walker-Lass
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A huge， roiling saga of a biography！ You may need a cheat sheet to keep all of the characters straight in this no-nonsense， deeply researched book that sometimes reads like a novel， other times an archeological study， of the life of Sylvia Plath。 This book focused on her life and writing， and not as much on her sensationalized death。 The depths of minutia feel necessary and right， and I did not feel bogged down by the length of the book， in fact I hated when it ended！ Accompanied by many great p A huge， roiling saga of a biography！ You may need a cheat sheet to keep all of the characters straight in this no-nonsense， deeply researched book that sometimes reads like a novel， other times an archeological study， of the life of Sylvia Plath。 This book focused on her life and writing， and not as much on her sensationalized death。 The depths of minutia feel necessary and right， and I did not feel bogged down by the length of the book， in fact I hated when it ended！ Accompanied by many great photographs that helped me to connect even more to this "Red Comet。" A furious self-promoter and feminist， she was also thoroughly ingrained in the values of the time despite her obviously superior intellect and brilliance。 Despite all， this book stunningly reveals the victor inside of the victim， the infinitely wise young woman beneath the mental illness that tore her and her children apart。 Just about perfect。 。。。more
Kirsten
，
[2020] Before this book what I knew about Sylvia Plath was essentially this: poet， The Bell Jar， Ted Hughes， suicide。 So basically everything in this book was new to me。 Comprehensive， thoroughly researched， utterly engaging。 All thousand pages of it！ Does Plath’s life and work justice。 Sticks to what is documented， keeps away from speculation for the most part。 Gives what seems to be a fair representation of her relationship with Ted Hughes。 Most surprising takeaways for me were how strong she [2020] Before this book what I knew about Sylvia Plath was essentially this: poet， The Bell Jar， Ted Hughes， suicide。 So basically everything in this book was new to me。 Comprehensive， thoroughly researched， utterly engaging。 All thousand pages of it！ Does Plath’s life and work justice。 Sticks to what is documented， keeps away from speculation for the most part。 Gives what seems to be a fair representation of her relationship with Ted Hughes。 Most surprising takeaways for me were how strong she was， ambitious and progressive。 How committed she was and how hard she worked at her craft。 And how big a role she played in Ted Hughes’ success。 。。。more
Jana
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Absolutely excellent。 Huge time investment but completely worth it。
Maria Belkadi
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If you struggle with episodes of severe depression， this book can be triggering。 With that being said， they should put that warning on the book somewhere。 This must be the most in-depth book about Sylvia Plath。 What an extraordinary woman she was。 As a writer， a poet， and a person who struggles with deep depression， this book resignated with me so deeply。 I did this book in audio format， it was 45 hours long。 All the research that went into her family history was truly remarkable。 It's definitel If you struggle with episodes of severe depression， this book can be triggering。 With that being said， they should put that warning on the book somewhere。 This must be the most in-depth book about Sylvia Plath。 What an extraordinary woman she was。 As a writer， a poet， and a person who struggles with deep depression， this book resignated with me so deeply。 I did this book in audio format， it was 45 hours long。 All the research that went into her family history was truly remarkable。 It's definitely a must-read if you've ever been curious about Sylvia Plath or you are already a fan。 。。。more
Ann Otto
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Rarely does one find such a well-researched work。 Clark is committed to providing the facts on Plath's career and the events and personal issues from every perspective which led to her suicide at an early age。 Plath's spouse， poet Ted Hughes， may have won accolades for his work during his lifetime， but it is Plath who continues to remain of interest in our culture。 She was a voice for women long before the women's movement gained momentum in the 1960s。 Rarely does one find such a well-researched work。 Clark is committed to providing the facts on Plath's career and the events and personal issues from every perspective which led to her suicide at an early age。 Plath's spouse， poet Ted Hughes， may have won accolades for his work during his lifetime， but it is Plath who continues to remain of interest in our culture。 She was a voice for women long before the women's movement gained momentum in the 1960s。 。。。more
Laura
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Excellent book， the best Sylvia Plath biography there is。
David Brady
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