Ariel

Following the publication of Ariel in 1965, two years after her death, Sylvia Plath (Boston, 1932–London, 1963) became a leading figure in contemporary poetry. But many readers are unaware that the original manuscript Plath left behind differs significantly from the collection that made her a legend. This edition finally returns the book to its first version, with the selection and order established by Sylvia Plath herself. In addition to the facsimile of the manuscript, it includes the various drafts of "Ariel" —the poem that gives the collection its title— and the notes Plath made for the BBC on key poems such as "Lady Lazarus" and "Daddy." Frieda Hughes, Plath's daughter, has written an illuminating foreword explaining the differences between the previously known edition of Ariel —prepared by the poet Ted Hughes, Sylvia Plath's husband and Frieda's father— and the original version now presented here. The publication of this book allows us to get an idea of ​​the author's creative process and to re-evaluate her legacy and her extraordinary poetic vision.