Gone Too Soon: Anne Sexton's Story
Anne Sexton was born Anne Gray Harvey on November 9, 1928 in Newton, Masschusetts. She was a
survivor of incest and Lois Ames, a friend of Anne's, believes that Anne was abused by her
husband, Alfred Muller Sexton.
Anne's talent for writing poetry was discovered shortly after a breakdown she had. (She
suffered depression most of her life, and eventually committed suicide). Her doctors encouraged
her to write, thinking she would eventually recover from depression through expressing herself.
She experienced quick success with her poetry; it was published in The New Yorker, Harper's
Magazine, and Saturday Review.
[Anne Sexton]
Sexton wrote very personal poetry...it came from the heart and mind. Wikipedia's entry for
Anne says: "Anne Sexton is the modern model of the confessional poet, one perhaps begun by the
publication of Heart's Needle, by W.D. Snodgrass. In this sense, Sexton helped open the door
not only for female poets, but for female issues; Sexton wrote about menstruation, abortion,
masturbation, and adultery before such issues were even topics for casual discussion, helping
redefine the boundaries of poetry."
Tragically, she committed suicide on October 4, 1974.
Sources:
http://www.poetrysociety.org/journal/articles/sexton.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Sexton
Links:
Anne Sexton
As Waters Passing By > Notable Survivors > Anne Sexton