shopping cart
Call us: 800-878-7323 HELP
McAfee SECURE helps keep you safe from identity theft, credit card fraud, spyware, spam, viruses and online scams.
Powell's Q&A, Q&A | June 29, 2009

Janna Cawrse Esarey: IMG Powell's Q&A: Janna Cawrse Esarey

0 comments By Janna Cawrse Esarey

"I fell in love with Crosby, Stills, and Nash's song 'Southern Cross' when I was fifteen. By the time I got to college, 'I'm going to sail around the world someday' was sort of my pickup line." Continue »
  1. $10.50 Sale Trade Paper add to wish list

    The Motion of the Ocean: 1 Small Boat, 2 Average Lovers, and a Woman's Search for the Meaning of Wife

    Janna Cawrse Esarey
Ships free on qualified orders.
$12.50
List price: $18.00
TRADE PAPER, USED
Ships in 1 to 3 days
Add to Wishlist
Qty Store Section
1 Beaverton Literature- A to Z
Click here to hide store locations


More copies of this ISBN:

The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

by Sylvia Plath

The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath Cover

ISBN13: 9780385720250
ISBN10: 0385720254
Condition: Standard
All Product Details

Only 1 left in stock at $12.50!

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

First U.S. Publication

A major literary event--the complete, uncensored journals of Sylvia Plath, published in their entirety for the first time.

Sylvia Plath's journals were originally published in 1982 in a heavily abridged version authorized by Plath's husband, Ted Hughes. This new edition is an exact and complete transcription of the diaries Plath kept during the last twelve years of her life. Sixty percent of the book is material that has never before been made public, more fully revealing the intensity of the poet's personal and literary struggles, and providing fresh insight into both her frequent desperation and the bravery with which she faced down her demons. The complete Journals of Sylvia Plath is essential reading for all who have been moved and fascinated by Plath's life and work.

Review:

From reviews of the British edition:

"A literary event...The book has a raw immediacy that will only add to Plath's iconic reputation." -Harpers & Queens

"The journals are cause for celebration...Given the intensity and rawness of their writing, at moments it feels like walking straight into someone else's dream."-Jacqueline Rose

Description:

Includes bibliographical references and index.
back to top

About the Author

Karen V. Kukil is associate curator of rare books at Smith College, with particular responsibility for supervising scholarly use of the Sylvia Plath Collection.
back to top

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!
Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
claire.r.foster, February 22, 2007 (view all comments by claire.r.foster)
Although at face value, this book is only for serious Plathites, it soon unfolds into a more generous portrait of Plath's era for poetry. Over the course of twelve years, Plath's writing style changes significantly, mirroring her own advances in her craft. As she ages, and undergoes several serious life changes (admission to Cambridge, end of a love affair, hospitalization for suicide attempt, marriage), her journaling style changes similarly. The result is a written account of her life that becomes more terrifying and streamlined as it goes on -- the portrait of a frighteningly intelligent, hyper-aware, talented woman.

Of course, it is difficult to read The Unabridged Journals without an eye to the final tragedy. Readers with literary inclinations may find it heavy-handed, thematically. Plath often devotes pages and pages to "practice" and can describe scenes of nature at great length. However, this demonstrates her unconsciousness of her own significance. She is not a memoirist, and does not seek to place herself in a historical position. (In fact, this can be maddening; Plath omits important dates, names and events that any third-rate biographer would include.) This is much more a portrait of the evolution of Plath's work than of her persona. A few helpful notes from editor Karen Kukil ease reading, as well as extensive notes and a few journal fragments that are added as appendices.

This is a rich read, a total immersion into the mind of a shy but budding genius. The effect is not angsty, nor too self-indulgent, but a luscious portrait of an artist's coming-of-age.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(5 of 8 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
back to top

Product Details

ISBN:
9780385720250
Editor:
Kukil, Karen V.
Author:
Kukil, Karen V.
Author:
PLATH, SYLVIA
Author:
Sylvia Plath edited by Karen V. Kukil
Publisher:
Anchor Books
Location:
New York :
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Biography
Subject:
Women
Subject:
20th century
Subject:
Poets, American
Subject:
Plath, sylvia, 1932-1963
Subject:
Poets, American -- 20th century.
Subject:
Plath, Sylvia
Edition Description:
1st Anchor Books ed.
Abridged:
Y
Publication Date:
October 2000
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Yes
Pages:
768
Dimensions:
7.99x5.28x1.55 in. 1.59 lbs.
back to top

Other books you might like

  1. $8.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams: Short Stories, Prose, and Diary Excerpts

    Sylvia Plath
  2. $2.00 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    Lost Nation

    Jeffrey Lent
  3. $7.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    Bell Jar

    Sylvia Plath
  4. $6.98 Sale Trade Paper add to wish list

    Wintering: A Novel of Sylvia Plath

    Kate Moses
  5. $3.95 Used Mass Market add to wish list

    Western Swing

    Tim Sandlin
  6. $2.95 Used Mass Market add to wish list

    Awakening

    Kate Chopin
back to top

Related Aisles

  • back to top

Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.