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Birth
Sylvia Plath was born in Boston, Massachusetts to an Austrian mother and a German father. -
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World War II
World War II began with the Nazi invasion of Poland. It involved more than thirty countries until the Allies defeated the Axis Powers.
Plath's writings were heavily influenced by the events of World War II and the Holocaust. -
Death of Father
Her father, Otto Plath, died as a result of complications with diabetes. -
First publication
Plath published her first poem in the Boston Herald at the age of eight. -
The Setting of The Bell Jar
Plath set her semi-autobiographical novel, The Bell Jar, in the year 1953 -
First Suicide Attempt
Plath attempted suicide by overdosing on her mother's sleeping pills. -
Graduation
Plath graduated from Smith College summa cum laude. She went on to study at Newnham College in Cambridge after receiving a scholarship. -
Meeting Ted Hughes
She met Ted Hughes, an English poet, at a party. A letter from Sylvia Plath to Ted Hughes -
Marriage
Sylvia Plath married Ted Hughes in London. -
Publication of Colossus
In England, Plath published her first collection of poems entitled Colossus. -
Birth of Daughter
Sylvia Plath gave birth to a daughter, Frieda in London. -
Separation From Hughes
Plath was left by her husband, who had been having an affair. -
Birth of Son
Plath gave birth to a son, Nicholas, in England. -
Ariel
Later in the year, Plath wrote the poem collection Ariel, which was eventually published posthumously.
Sylvia Plath reading "The Applicant" -
Publication of The Bell Jar
Plath published The Bell Jar under the pseudonym "Victoria Lucas." First Reviews of The Bell Jar -
Death
Sylvia Plath died in London, England by committing suicide at the age of thirty. Content Warning: Sylvia Plath's Final Letter