The letters are not as “complete” as the editors claim. Elizabeth Sigmund, who was friendly with Plath from February 1962 to her death in February 1963 (and to whom The Bell Jar is dedicated) received a long letter from the poet on the eve of her suicide. It contained the words: “I can’t help sighing for lost Edens, but I think I’ve found my own strength now.” The letter is absent. Is it under seal? If so, why? It begs the question of what Plath herself would have cared to publish, were she still alive.
This article first appeared in the Catholic Herald, 23 November 2018
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