Nutmeg

—–

Washington Ave, North Adams, Massachusetts, July 14, 1974

Contents of the 1965 version

Poems marked with an * were not in Plath’s original manuscript, but were added by Ted Hughes. Most of them date from the last few weeks of Plath’s life.

Morning Song

The Couriers

Sheep in Fog *

The Applicant

Lady Lazarus

Tulips

Cut

Elm

The Night Dances

Poppies in October

Berck-Plage

Ariel

Death & Co.

Lesbos - (censored in some conservative publications)

Nick and the Candlestick

Gulliver

Getting There

Medusa

The Moon and the Yew Tree

A Birthday Present

Mary’s Song * (only in US version)

Letter in November

The Rival

Daddy

You’re

Fever 103°

The Bee Meeting

The Arrival of the Bee Box

Stings

The Swarm * (only in US version)

Wintering

The Hanging Man *

Little Fugue *

Years *

The Munich Mannequins

Totem *

Paralytic *

Balloons *

Poppies in July *

Kindness *

Contusion *

Edge *

The “Sylvia Plath Calendar” - 6 years ago today:

Sylvia Plath’s Nicholas “Nick” Farrar Hughes commited suicide on Monday, 16 March 2009 in Fairbanks, Alaska where he was living and working as a fisheries biologist and a well-known expert in stream salmonid ecology.

Nicholas Hughes attended Oxford University where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1984 and a Master of Arts degree in 1990, both in in zoology.

In 1991, Hughes earned a Ph.D. in biology from University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) and made notable contributions to the field of stream ecology. He was considered a prominent biologist in Alaska.

In 2006, Nicholas Hughes resigned from his faculty position at UAF, but he still continued with his scientific research in a study of king salmon.

Only three years later, Hughes hanged himself in his home in Fairbanks, Alaska. His body was discovered by his girlfriend Christine Hunter.

According to his sister Frieda Hughes and his UAF colleagues, Nicholas Hughes suffered from depression.

After his death, there were may horrible articles written about him and his death. However, this one seems very reasonable and you should definitely check it out:

“ ‘Nick did not have the suicide gene. It’s drivel’, say friends of the tragic son of Sylvia Plath“

See his memorial page here.

Picture via via Peter K. Steinberg’s blog http://sylviaplathinfo.blogspot.com/

***

Newspaper clipping from The Boston Post. August 25, 1953: 7

***

“[…] That was the day I read about you.” “How do you mean?” “Oh,” Joan said, “about how the police thought you were dead and all. I’ve got a pile of clippings somewhere.” […] Joan rummaged in her open suitcase and came up with a fistful of clippings. “Here, have a look.” The first clipping showed a big, blown-up picture of a girl with black-shadowed eyes and black lips spread in a grin. I couldn’t imagine where such a tarty picture had been taken until I noticed the Bloomingdale earrings and the Bloomingdale necklace glinting out of it with bright, white highlights, like imitation stars.

SCHOLARSHIP GIRL MISSING. MOTHER WORRIED

The article under the picture told how this girl had disappeared from her home on August 17th, wearing a green skirt and a white blouse, and had left a note saying she was taking a long walk. When Miss Greenwood had not returned by midnight, it said, her mother called the town police.