Birthday Letters - Ted Hughes

Ted Hughes was always reticent about his marraige to Sylvia Plath and it seems beautifully appropriate that he should finally choose to talk about it in poetry. The poetry itself is polished, moving and thought-provoking but I suspect the real interest lies in its subject matter and you may find yourself trying to match poems to known biographical details. At times, indeed, you may feel that you are prying, and it is,of course, a very one sided account of the turbulent relationship shared by Hughes and Plath. Some of the poems are instantly accessible, others require several readings. Look out ... more

I bought this book several years ago and have been unable to put it down since! It is an honest and fascinating account of Ted Hughes ultimately tragic relationship with the American Poet Sylvia Plath. The couple met at Cambridge University in 1956 and married shortly after. However, their marriage was turbulent and despite having two children together, they broke up in 1962. A year later Sylvia committed suicide. Ted Hughes refused to comment on his relationship with Plath for many, many years, until the publication of this book in 1998 and for that he was accused of being a heartless ... more

Whether or not you are a fan of the late former Poet Laureate,it has to be said that he was a master of style and linguistic technique.The poems in this collection are,of course,addressed directly to his late wife,the American poet Sylvia Plath,and were written in the years after her suicide.They are intense,vivid,emotional and often quite disturbing.I cannot pretend that they are easy poems to understand,and you wouldn't want to read them all at once.You need to take them slowly to fully appreciate them.But they are worth the effort.Hughes' love for his tormented wife shines through them,as ... more