2015

It's New Year's Eve so I'd better write a post quickly so that my blog will have a post this year! I'll do a quick run down of my academic and Plath activities this year.

Earlier in the year - February of March I think - Frieda Hughes, Sylvia Plath's daughter, appeared at an event as part of the Bath Literature Festival. The event was to mark twenty years since her father, Ted Hughes, had appeared at the first Bath Literature Festival. At the beginning of the event it was announced that two respected broadcasters who had been scheduled to appear - Melvin Bragg and Jonathan Dimbleby - we're now not able to. There was an loud groan from the audience at this, but I was not disappointed. I booked my tickets quite late so I knew they would not be there, and I had come to see Frieda. She left others to read the poems that Ted Hughes had written and read some of her own work, concentrating particularly on thise which related to her father. 

I was a little in awe. What can I say? I listened intently. I looked around me a little to see whether others were as enthralled as I. They seemed to be. Kate Tempest, a recipient of an award in Ted Hughes's name, read and amazed the crowd with her passion and power. Then there was a signing. I picked up a copy of Frieda's latest book and stood in the queue to meet her. I didn't trust myself to speak too much in case I suddenly blurted out, 'Oh my God. You're Frieda Hughes!' or something, so I just said that I'd enjoyed the readings and she said she was glad and signed my book. 

So that was nice.

Another exciting thing was researching at the British Library in the summer. My wife and I went to London and stayed for one night. My wife was in the process of applying to do her PGCE teacher training course and was working like mad to be ready for all the tests that are required. No better surroundings than the public areas of the BL to do her work. My business was in the Manuscripts Reading Room. Before I could go in I needed to make my case to be admitted as a member of the library. I think that's pretty much a formality when you're a PhD student, but you can't help wondering at these times whether they'll rumble you and realise that you're really just some kid who grew up on the streets of Weston and has no place in these hallowed surroundings. Still, I aced it and they gave me the card. I had been online and ordered the manuscripts that I wanted to see so that they would be ready for me, so I went to the Humanities Reading Room. That lost me half an hour. I needed the Manuscripts Reading Room. 

To see manuscripts that came from Plath's pen and typescripts from her typewriter was an amazing thing. It gave me lots of ideas for research too. We spent a couple of days there and also took a little time to do some touristy things, too.

I was delighted when, a week or so later, I was asked by Peter K Steinberg, who as we say here, is a top bloke, to do a little research for a forthcoming book of Plath’s letters that he is editing. So I returned to the BL to look at some of their holdings there. My task was to look for clues as to the dates of the letters. I’m not sure I came up with anything earth-shattering – more a case of confirming what was already known really, but I was really happy to be able to contribute to such an important project.

I was also very happy to be asked by the journal Plath Profiles to peer-review some articles that had been submitted for publication, and to receive an acknowledgement in the journal.

Teaching full-time as I do and trying to fit the PhD around it is proving tough. The six week summer break was great; lots of time and space to think, but in term time it's hard. At the end of the day I'm tired - a special type of tiredness you only get from spending the day with a class of seven-year-olds. I'll need to find more time in the coming year. 

Happy new year!