Sylvia Plath on Living with the Darkness and Making Art from the Barely Bearable Lightness of Being

A newly highlighted letter from the poet Sylvia Plath reveals her early struggles with mental health and the internal battles she fought as a young woman. As The Marginalian tells it, Plath wrote to her mother about a family tendency toward self-criticism and the necessity of pushing past a nagging mind to keep living. The piece frames Plath's ability to produce timeless poetry while navigating these depths as a rare triumph of the spirit.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton