THE POET AND THE BEES

In narrative verse organized from “Spring” to “Winter,” Novesky explores Sylvia Plath’s beekeeping in the year preceding the poet’s death.

As she mentions in a note, Novesky—herself a poet and beekeeper—takes inspiration from Plath’s letters and poetry, including several bee-focused poems that conclude the posthumously published collection Ariel. (As Novesky explains, she draws from the revised edition that aligns with Plath’s own intended order of the poems, rather than her husband Ted Hughes’ arrangement.) In “Spring,” Plath’s sleeveless dress and palpable fear during her introduction to her bees derive from her poem “The Bee Meeting.” Novesky’s often-exquisite verse intentionally echoes Plath’s language, including thrice-repeated words and phrases. Lines in “Summer” reveal the necessity of Plath’s early-morning writing: “In the blue hour, her hour, / the poet writes / until the babies wake / just past dawn. / She writes like mad, / a poem, a poem, a poem.” Italicized phrases and lines are pulled directly from Plath’s own writing, a fact Novesky doesn’t specifically acknowledge. Love’s muted watercolor-and-ink illustrations imbue the book with a fitting poignancy, contrasting practical details—such as the poet caring for her hive or her children—with tender images of flowers, seasonal changes, bees, and jarred honey. The opening and closing illustrations depict snowdrops, completing the seasonal cycle. Novesky successfully refocuses the lens from Plath’s tragic death to the poet as artist, centering her hopeful ambition and keen relationship with nature.

Attentive, deeply respectful, lovely.