Sunday June 22, 2008
Poetry in motion
Review by EVANNA RAMLY
This month's Young Adult fiction review examines a book that is a wonderful introduction to the life and work of a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet.
YOUR OWN SYLVIA
A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath
By Stephanie Hemphill
Publisher: Knopf Books, 272 pages
ISBN: 978-0375837999
As a Sylvia Plath fan myself, I am naturally drawn to anything that bears her name. I do not, however, find myself waiting to hear her voice speaking to me from anything other than her own honest words.
Nothing, apart from her journals and her work, could offer a glimpse (however vague) of what she actually went through. Thus, I applaud the writer for attempting to paint a portrait of one of the twentieth century’s most brilliant and complex minds. It’s hard enough to write a biography plain and simple – to do so in verse through different voices is something else altogether.
The first voice we hear is that of an anonymous reader under Sylvia Plath’s spell. The questions asked, the wonder and awe expressed within this single poem, all echo modern day responses to her work. Here, the writer has taken it upon herself to say all the things a Plath enthusiast has long wanted to but could never articulate. Yet, we know this is not enough to give people any inkling of the woman behind the words, and this is where the words of her friends and family knock on the door.
Stephanie Hemphill did well to put herself in their shoes and her words in their mouths. But while this concept may be easier to swallow for the touching poems of Sylvia’s mother Aurelia (who was in fact a writer herself), one wonders if certain characters, such as her father and the nurse who cared for Plath while she was hospitalised, would actually have taken the time and trouble to put their observations into poetry – if only in their minds.
No matter what the deluded may insist upon, poetry takes a lot to create, understand, and appreciate, more so when the intended subject is so complex. We expect testimony to be more direct and perhaps this is one reason why an offering of poetry comes as a surprise.
There is, of course, another way of looking at this. For me, the method emphasises on the stunning impact Plath left on those who met her. The idea that they would be inspired to write such pieces (all of which carry some touch of Plath’s style within them) on the spot may seem far-fetched, but it’s a clever thought at any rate.
Most writers would encounter this throughout their writing process: you read different authors and poets, and you conduct experiments to incorporate the newfound influence in your own work. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t – and this appears to be what Hemphill is suggesting.
Anyone who has been charmed by Plath’s magic would wish to hold on to a piece of it in some way, be it through parody or direct imitation, homage or psychotic obsession. Call it what you will, it happens. And Hemphill certainly showed how it happened to these characters.
The beauty of it all is this: Plath may have communicated with the world through her poetry; this book offers intimate conversations with the individuals who actually lived within that poetry. They may not be the exact words used in the past, but Hemphill never claimed such pin-point precision. One thing for sure, the emotions definitely come close – and that’s the whole point of the project. To share these lives heart-wise, and not just to suffer reading the same things (the same cold research and bland testimonials) all over again.
That said, it remains somewhat intrusive for many. Some things, especially the most intimate details of a person’s life, just need to be left alone. Plath may be a literary legend but she’s still only human. She made mistakes like the rest of us, some parts of her life was just as unbearable as ours, and to share the worst and most embarrassing of it is unnecessary. So while I cannot blame Sylvia Plath’s family for not endorsing the project, I do hope that they (and all else who do not agree) understand to what great extent Sylvia touched the lives of her readers, and thus no one should stomp on the hands that put her up on a pedestal. Because that is where Hemphill obviously tried to place her, and that truly is where she belongs.
Stephanie Hemphill is a young, award-winning American poet. 'Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath' was selected as a Printz Honor Book winner earlier this year by the US Young Adult Library Services Association.
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