1932-1963. US poet and novelist. Plath's
powerful, highly personal poems, often
expressing a sense of desolation, are
distinguished by their intensity and sharp
imagery. Collections include The Colossus
1960; Ariel 1965, published after her death;
and Collected Poems 1981, which was awarded a
Pulitzer Prize. Her autobiographical novel,
The Bell Jar 1961, deals with the events
surrounding a young woman's emotional
breakdown. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, she
attended Smith College and was awarded a
Fulbright scholarship to study at Cambridge
University, England, where she met the poet
Ted Hughes, whom she married 1956; they
separated in 1962. She committed suicide
while living in London.