The Colossus

"[Her poems] have that exquisite, heart-breaking quality about them that has
made Sylvia Plath our acknowledged Queen of Sorrows, the spokeswoman for our most
private, most helpless nightmares. . . . Her poetry is as deathly as it is impeccable;
it enchants us almost as powerfully as it must have enchanted her." –Joyce Carol Oates,
The New York Times



"Sylvia Plath’s eye is sharp . . . and her wits responsive to what she sees." –Richard Howard,Poetry

"…The Colossus, which appeared earlier in England to unusual acclaim [was] her first volume to be published in America. Certainly the praise bestowed on her by British critics is warranted; Sylvia Plath is indeed a rare talent and a consummate craftsman…her powerful poems crackle and smolder with energy."–Guy Owen, Books Abroad

"She steers clear of feminine charm, deliciousness, gentility, supersensitivity and the act of being a poet. She simply writes good poetry."–Al Alvarez, London Observer