It is 30 years since Hazel Holt's biography; many more since David Cecil and Philip Larkin championed her novels. The surprise, perhaps, is that she is read more now than when she first publ... read more
First vol of the unexpurgated diaries, with the second due in the autumn. (A selection was published in 1967 but there was a 60-year embargo on the full text.)
There have been many books on Plath, but this is in fact the first full biography. Sensitive and perceptive, it navigates both the controversies and poetry with skill.
Born in Gravesend in 1929, he died in 2004 in California, where he lived for most of his adult life. This collection presents the private life and reflections of the poet for the first time.
The author lived alongside Elizabeth and Margaret at Windsor during the war, between the ages of 16 and 22, the span of these diaries. She remained a confidante until her death in 2001.
Kneale knows the city like few others (viz his Rome: A History in Seven Sackings, pbk £10.99). His writing is also a delight, so his account of lockdown is worth reading.
The last seven years of Lowell's life, including 'The Dolphin' sonnets controversy, his break up and reconciliation with EH, seen through their letters to each other, Elizabeth Bishop, Caro... read more