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Alvarez, the reviewer, goes to have his first meeting with Ted, the poet, making it a family outing, and Alvarez gives us his first dialogue with Sylvia, and we can see how she may feel like she is struggling in the shadows.
_ _ _
Ted went downstairs to get the pram ready while she dressed the baby. I stayed behind a minute, zipping up my son’s coat. Sylvia turned to me, suddenly without gush.
“I’m so glad you picked that poem,” she said. “It’s one of my favorites but no one else seemed to like it.”
For a moment I went completely blank; I didn’t know what she was talking about. She noticed and helped me out.
“The one you put in The Observer a year ago. About the factory at night.”
“For Christ’s sake, Sylvia Plath [rather than Sylvia Hughes].” It was my turn to gush. “I’m sorry. It was a lovely poem.”
…
I was embarrassed not to have known who she was. She seemed embarrassed to have reminded me, and also depressed.
-- A. Alvarez, “The Savage God”
_ _ _
Ted went downstairs to get the pram ready while she dressed the baby. I stayed behind a minute, zipping up my son’s coat. Sylvia turned to me, suddenly without gush.
“I’m so glad you picked that poem,” she said. “It’s one of my favorites but no one else seemed to like it.”
For a moment I went completely blank; I didn’t know what she was talking about. She noticed and helped me out.
“The one you put in The Observer a year ago. About the factory at night.”
“For Christ’s sake, Sylvia Plath [rather than Sylvia Hughes].” It was my turn to gush. “I’m sorry. It was a lovely poem.”
…
I was embarrassed not to have known who she was. She seemed embarrassed to have reminded me, and also depressed.
-- A. Alvarez, “The Savage God”
