The first biography of this great and tragic poet that takes advantage of a wealth of new
material this is an unusually balanced comprehensive and definitive life of Sylvia Plath.
'Surely the final the definitive biography of Sylvia Plath' Ali Smith *WINNER OF THE SLIGHTLY
FOXED PRIZE 2021* *A BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE DAILY TELEGRAPH AND THE TIMES* *FINALIST FOR THE
PULITZER PRIZE IN BIOGRAPHY 2021* Drawing on a wealth of new material Heather Clark brings to
life the great and tragic poet Sylvia Plath. Refusing to read Plath's work as if her every act
was a harbinger of her fate Clark evokes a culture in transition in the mid-twentieth century
as she thoroughly explores Sylvia's world. We see Plath's early relationships and determination
not to become a conventional woman and wife we witness her Cambridge years and thunderclap
meeting with Ted Hughes and through clear-eyed portraits of the demonised players in the
arena of her suicide we gain a deeper understanding of her final days. Featuring illuminating
readings of Plath's poems Red Comet brings us closer than ever to the spirited woman and
visionary artist who blazed a trail that still lights the way for women the world over. 'A
first-class biography . . . Each chapter reads with the ease of a novel . . . I couldn't put it
down' The Times
