The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath’s semi-autobiographical novel  was published in England just before this iconic American poet took her own life at age thirty. 

It was released on January 14, 1963 under a pseudonym, Victoria Lucas, and was published in the U.S. under her real name eight years later (April 11, 1971), in accordance with the wishes of fellow poet Ted Hughes, to whom she was married at the time of her death (though the two were separated).

The Bell Jar  reflects Plath’s real-life struggles with severe depression and a breakdown through her character, Esther Greenwood. Read More→