Anne Sexton: A Self-Portrait in Letters

An expression of an extraordinary poet's life story in her own words, this book shows Anne Sexton as she really was in private, as she wrote about herself to family, friends, fellow poets, and students. Anne's daughter Linda Gray Sexton and her close confidant Lois Ames have judiciously chosen from among thousands of letters and provided commentary where necessary. Illustrated throughout with candid photographs and memorabilia, the letters—brilliant, lyrical, caustic, passionate, angry—are a consistently revealing index to Anne Sexton's quixotic and exuberant personality.

An expression of an extraordinary poet's life story in her own words, this book shows Anne Sexton as she really was in private, as she wrote about herself to family, friends, fellow poets, and students. Anne's daughter Linda Gray Sexton and her close confidant Lois Ames have judiciously chosen from among thousands of letters and provided commentary where necessary. Illustrated throughout with candid photographs and memorabilia, the letters -- brilliant, lyrical, caustic, passionate, angry -- are a consistently revealing index to Anne Sexton's quixotic and exuberant personality.

Publishers Weekly

Linda Sexton, Anne Sexton's elder daughter and literary executor, adds a new introduction to this collection of the poet's letters first published in 1977. PW called the original edition, ``An arresting, disturbing portrait of a gifted, unstable, death-obsessed writer who never took that giant step from childhood to maturity.'' Photos. (Jan.)

Anne Sexton (1928-1974), the author of ten collections of poems, received the Pulitzer Prize in 1967.