Special Collections > Mortimer Rare Book Collection > Online Exhibits > A Story of Their Own > Plath's Letter to Phil McCurdy
Plath's Letter to Phil McCurdy
February 4, 1954
Plath’s letter to her close friend, Phil McCurdy (who was probably her first lover), is typed on memorandum paper from Mademoiselle magazine, which was owned by Street and Smith Publications. Plath was an intern at the magazine the previous summer before her suicide attempt. Plath describes her room in Lawrence House at Smith and the “light” load of courses she was encouraged to take after her breakdown. This letter demonstrates how important good friends and education were to Plath’s mental health. Plath graduated summa cum laude the following year and went on to read English on a Fulbright fellowship at Cambridge. She also studied French, German, and Italian.
Presented by Philip McCurdy
Mortimer Rare Book Room, Smith College
at full size in a new window
