The Next Chapter

Why Sina Queyras got immersed in the life and feminism of Sylvia Plath

The Montreal poet and author explores the legacy of the iconic writer in their book My Ariel.
Sina Queyras is a poet and the author of My Ariel. (Coach House Books)

With My Ariel, Montreal poet Sina Queyras takes an analytical and poetic look at Sylvia Plath's Ariel. As a poem-by-poem engagement with Ariel — and the mythology surrounding it — the book examines the iconic text, and, by extension, cultural norms and attitudes.

Poetic exploration

"My Ariel is a multi-pronged engagement with Sylvia Plath's collection of poetry. I wanted to explore the poems themselves. I thought that I would have a nice way to reflect on the state of motherhood, which I had just entered into myself. But all of my work is an of exploration of the bridge between conceptual work and lyric work."

Emotional impact

"It's always a mystery to me when a poet can pack so many varied emotions into a poem so successfully and so succinctly. The book is also an exploration of the way in which we can do that both can such a compressed way and then letting it go in a real, expansive way."

Sina Queyras's comments have been edited for length and clarity. 

Add some “good” to your morning and evening.

Sign up for our newsletter. We’ll send you book recommendations, CanLit news, the best author interviews on CBC and more.

...

The next issue of CBC Books newsletter will soon be in your inbox.

Discover all CBC newsletters in the Subscription Centre.opens new window

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Google Terms of Service apply.