Book summary

This sequence of poems, written over the course of the 35 years since her suicide, elucidate Ted Hughes's relationship with his wife, the poet Sylvia Plath. Addressed directly to her, they form a chronological narrative that attempts to understand Plath's life and tragic death. The Los Angeles Times chose this as one of the best books of poetry of 1998. After Hughes's death, it was awarded the 1999 Whitbread Book of the Year award. A New York Times Notable Book for 1998.

Media reviews

"As Hughes's critical engagement with Plath's poems suggests, there is nothing simply sentimental or nostalgic about 'Birthday Letters.' In fact, a lot of it is pretty unpleasant....Distilled into poetry, the concoction of passion and dispute is particularly hard to swallow. But then one of Hughes's great strengths is that he does not sweeten, and he often makes his readers gulp. None of the new poems is sugared with affection."