“From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked… but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.” In this passage from Sylvia Plath’s "The Bell Jar," a young woman imagines an uncertain future– and speaks to the universal fear of becoming paralyzed by the prospect of making the wrong choice.
„Sa vrška svake grane, poput sočne purpurne smokve, pozivala je i namigivala čudesna budućnost... ali je odabiranje jedne podrazumevalo gubitak svih ostalih, i dok sam sedela tamo, nesposobna da se odlučim, smokve su počele da se smežuravaju i crne, i jedna po jedna su pljaskale o zemlju podno mojih nogu.” U ovom odlomku iz „Staklenog zvona” Silvije Plat, mlada žena zamišlja neizvesnu budućnost i izražava univerzalni strah od stanja paralisanosti zbog mogućnosti pravljenja pogrešnog izbora.
Although she considered other careers, Plath chose the artist’s way. Poetry was her calling. Under her shrewd eye and pen, everyday objects became haunting images: a “new statue in a drafty museum,” a shadow in a mirror, a slab of soap. Fiercely intelligent, penetrating and witty, Plath was also diagnosed with clinical depression. She used poetry to explore her own states of mind in the most intimate terms, and her breathtaking perspectives on emotion, nature and art continue to captivate and resonate.
Iako je razmatrala druge karijere, Plat je odabrala umetnički pravac. Poezija je bila njen poziv. Pod njenim pronicljivim okom i perom, svakidašnji predmeti su postajali opčinjavajuće slike: „novi kip u promaji muzeja”, senka u ogledalu, komad sapuna. Opako inteligentna, britka i duhovita, Plat je imala i dijagnostikovanu kliničku depresiju. Koristila je poeziju da istraži sopstvena stanja uma koristeći najintimnije izraze, a njeni očaravajući osvrti na emocije, prirodu i umetnost i dalje nas zanose i odjekuju u nama.
In her first collection of poems, "The Colossus," she wrote of a feeling of nothingness: "white: it is a complexion of the mind.” At the same time, she found solace in nature, from “a blue mist” “dragging the lake,” to white flowers that “tower and topple,” to blue mussels “clumped like bulbs.”
U njenoj prvoj zbirci pesama, „Kolos”, pisala je o osećanju ništavila: „belo: to je ten uma.” Istovremeno, pronalazila je utehu u prirodi, od „modre magle” „koja se vuče po jezeru”, do belog cveća koje se „diže i obara”, do modrih dagnji „preklopljenih poput lukovica”.
After "The Colossus" she published "The Bell Jar," her only novel, which fictionalizes the time she spent working for Mademoiselle magazine in New York during college. The novel follows its heroine, Esther, as she slides into a severe depressive episode, but also includes wickedly funny and shrewd depictions of snobby fashion parties and dates with dull men.
Nakon „Kolosa”, objavila je „Stakleno zvono”, svoj jedini roman, u kom je kroz fikciju opisala period tokom kog je radila za časopis „Madmoazel” dok je studirala u Njujorku. Roman prati junakinju Ester dok klizi u težak depresivni period, ali on sadrži i opako smešne i pronicljive opise snobovskih modnih zabava i sastanaka sa tupavim muškarcima.
Shortly after the publication of "The Bell Jar," Plath died by suicide at age 30. Two years later, the collection of poems she wrote in a burst of creative energy during the months before her death was published under the title "Ariel." Widely considered her masterpiece, Ariel exemplifies the honesty and imagination Plath harnessed to capture her pain.
Ubrzo nakon objavljivanja „Staklenog zvona”, Plat je umrla izvršivši samoubistvo u 30. godini. Dve godine kasnije, zbirka pesama koje je napisala u naboju kreativne energije u mesecima pred svoju smrt objavljena je pod naslovom „Arijel”. Naširoko cenjen kao remek-delo, „Arijel” je primer iskrenosti i imaginacije
In one of "Ariel's" most forceful poems, "Lady Lazarus," she explores her attempts to take her own life through Lazarus, the biblical figure who rose from the dead. She writes, “and I a smiling woman/ I am only thirty/ And like the cat I have nine times to die.” But the poem is also a testament to survival: “I rise with my red hair/ And I eat men like air.” This unflinching language has made Plath an important touchstone for countless other readers and writers who sought to break the silence surrounding issues of trauma, frustration, and sexuality.
koje je Plat uprezala kako bi opisala svoju patnju. U jednoj od najsnažnijih pesama iz „Arijela”, „Ženski Lazar”, istražuje napore da oduzme svoj život kroz Lazara, biblijsku ličnost koja je ustala iz mrtvih. Piše: „a ja nasmejana žena. Meni je tek trideseta i kao mačka mogu devet puta da umrem.” Međutim, pesma je i testament opstanku: „Ustajem s kosama crvenim i muškarce kao zrak tamanim.” Zbog nepokolebljivog jezika, Plat je postala važna odrednica za bezbrojne čitaoce i pisce koji su pokušavali da prekinu ćutnju u vezi sa pitanjima traume, frustracije i seksualnosti.
"Ariel" is also filled with moving meditations on heartbreak and creativity. The title poem begins “Stasis in darkness/ Then the substanceless blue/ Pour of tor and distances.” This sets the scene for a naked ride on horseback in the early morning— one of Plath’s most memorable expressions of the elation of creative freedom. But it is also full of foreboding imagery, such as “a child's cry” that “melts in the wall” and a “red/eye, the cauldron of morning.”
„Arijel” obiluje i dirljivim meditacijama o slomljenom srcu i kreativnosti. Naslovna pesma počinje: „Mirovanje u tami, a potom isprazna modrina obasipa humke i daljine.” Stihovi postavljaju pozornicu za obnaženo jahanje konja u rano jutro - jedan od najupečatljivijih Platinih izraza o ushitu kreativne slobode. Međutim, ispunjen je i zloslutnim slikama, poput: „detinjeg plača” koji se „topi u zidu” i „crvenog oka jutarnjeg kotla.”
This darkness is echoed throughout the collection, which includes controversial references to the holocaust and the Kamikazes. Even the relics of seemingly happier times are described as crucifying the author: “My husband and child smiling out of the family photo; Their smiles catch onto my skin, little smiling hooks.”
Ova tama odjekuje kroz čitavu zbirku, koja uključuje kontroverzne reference na holokaust i kamikaze. Čak su i ostaci naoko srećnijih vremena prikazani kao da razapinju pesnikinju: „Moj suprug i dete smeše se sa porodične slike; Osmesi su im malene udice i kače se na moju kožu.”
Her domestic dissatisfaction and her husband’s mistreatment of her are constant themes in her later poetry. After her death, he inherited her estate, and has been accused of excluding some of her work from publication.
Nezadovoljstvo porodičnim životom i suprugovo maltretiranje su stalne teme u njenoj kasnijoj poeziji. Nakon njene smrti, suprug je nasledio njen imetak i optuživali su ga de je izbacio neka njena dela iz štampe.
Despite these possible omissions and her untimely death, what survives is one of the most extraordinary bodies of work by a twentieth century poet. While her work can be shocking in its rage and trauma, Plath casts her readers as witnesses– not only to the truth of her psychological life, but to her astounding ability to express what often remains inexpressible.
Uprkos ovim mogućim omaškama i njenoj preranoj smrti, opstao je jedan od najizvanrednijih opusa pesnikinje XX veka. Iako njeno delo može da deluje šokantno zbog besa i traume, Plat svojim čitocima dodeljuje ulogu svedoka - ne samo istinitosti njenog psihološkog života, već i njenoj zapanjujućoj sposobnosti da izrazi ono što često ostaje neizrecivo.