A Lover of Unreason
The Life and Tragic Death of Assia Wevill
Published on 28. September 2006
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-1-86105-974-1 (ISBN)
Description
'Assia was my true wife, and the best friend I ever had', wrote Ted Hughes, after his lover surrendered her life and that of their young daughter in 1969, six years after Sylvia Plath had suffered a similiar fate.
Diva, she-devil, enchantress, muse, Lillith, Jezebel - Assia inspired many epithets during her life. The tragic story of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes has always been related from one of two points of view: hers or his. Missing for over four decades had been a third: that of Hughes's mistress. This first biography of Assia Wevill views afresh the Plath-Hughes relationship and at the same time, recounts the journey that shaped her life. Wevill's is a complex story, formed as it is by the pull of often contrary forces.
Diva, she-devil, enchantress, muse, Lillith, Jezebel - Assia inspired many epithets during her life. The tragic story of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes has always been related from one of two points of view: hers or his. Missing for over four decades had been a third: that of Hughes's mistress. This first biography of Assia Wevill views afresh the Plath-Hughes relationship and at the same time, recounts the journey that shaped her life. Wevill's is a complex story, formed as it is by the pull of often contrary forces.
Reviews / Votes
"Unforgettable in its intensity. Easily the best work ever on Hughes and his world. One of the most wonderfully well-written and powerful literary biographies I have encountered." Roger Lewis, Mail on SundayMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers
Dimensions
Height: 248 mm
Width: 168 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
700 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-86105-974-1 (9781861059741)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Yehuda Koren and Eilat Negev are both distinguished literary journalists and authors, and have been researching Assia Wevill's story for 15 years. In the course of their research they have unearthed a mass of personal documents, and interviewed all the key witnesses, most of them speaking here for the first time. Koren and Negev's previous book, In Our Hearts We Were Giants, a dwarf family's survival of the Holocaust was published in eight languages, and inspired two documentary films.
Content
The incredible story of Ted Hughes's deeply troubled lover received glowing reviews
A fascinating new perspective on Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath's relationship
A biography of great importance which will reshape Hughes & Plath's history
Now out in paperback!
A fascinating new perspective on Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath's relationship
A biography of great importance which will reshape Hughes & Plath's history
Now out in paperback!