Sylvia Page #3

And the loud song

of the ever-singing leaves,

Had hid away

earth's old and weary cry.

And then you came

With those red mournful lips,

And with you came the whole

of the world's tears,

And all the sorrows

of her labouring ships,

And all the burden

of her myriad years.

And now the sparrows

warring in the eaves,

The crumbling moon,

the white stars in the sky

And the loud chanting

of the unquiet leaves

Are shaken with earth's

old and weary cry.

Thank you.

Thank you.

- Well, thank you very much.

- It's so nice to meet you.

- You take care. Bye-bye.

- You too. Bye.

- Bye-bye, thank you.

- Mr. Hughes,

your voice is so powerful.

What did you think of the words?

The words?

So when is your next

book coming out?

Well, when I've written it.

Oh, it must be wonderful

to be married

to such a great poet.

Yes, it is.

It is. Would you excuse

us for just a moment?

- Sure.

- Excuse me.

I'm sorry, I just

I'm so exhausted

and I've got a stack of papers

this high to get through.

So do you mind if we

go now or in a minute?

I'm going to have to say thanks

to Merlin for that review.

And Len Baskin's here, so I

- Who's Len Baskin?

- Len Baskin, he organized all this.

Oh, right, right.

Sorry.

Take the car.

All right.

I'll see you later.

Right.

Is Mr. Hughes in?

No.

He said he'd look at my poetry.

He said it would be okay.

I'm sorry if I disturbed you.

Who is she?

She's nobody.

A student, she was

in that creative writing

class I talked to.

She'd written all these poems.

I took pity on her.

You think I'm f***ing her.

- Are you?

- Oh, for Christ's sake!

This place is really

getting to you, isn't it?

This bunch of dried-up,

malicious old women

who think their men are going

to get a taste for fresh meat.

As a matter of fact,

I'm not f***ing her.

But if I do start f***ing the students,

you'll be the first to know.

Do you think

the trouble is

That I'm in love?

Mmm, yeah

Hey, Doc,

hey, Doc

I wonder what's wrong

with me

Give me your

wrist there, son,

And I'll see

if I can see

Hey, Doc, hey, Doc

My temperature's

one thousand and three

What you been

doing with yourself, son?

Hey, Doc, hey, Doc

Whenever that gal

casts them glimmers on me

I thought it was

something like that

I get a dizzy

spell, a dizzy spell

I run around

in circles

You need a pill, son

That's it, Doc,

my ticker's stopped

Let me listen to it

I need strength, Doc

- Last night

- I

I was very tired.

I:

I've organized everything

so I won't be quite so tired.

I'm I'm sorry.

It's not just you.

It's me, as well.

I can't write here.

- We should go back to England.

- And live on what?

We'll survive, lovely.

Do you see that?

That's the world.

Page 14 on line 14.

Yes, page 14, line 14.

There is an "E" yes.

No no two "P" s.

Will you get that?

Page 40.

Yes. Next, line eight.

Next, "The new moon's curve"

All those guys are all the same.

Right.

I mean after "Hawk

in the Rain," they

No.

They were hoping your next

book would be an anticlimax.

But I'm pleased to say you've

confounded them and outdone yourself.

- It's really quite wonderful.

- On the back page

in the back jacket.

- I've just made some coffee. Would you like a cup?

- I think you can speak

- to the agent about that.

- Thank you.

All right?

- Hello.

- Hello.

You must be

Mr. Alvarez.

Yes, indeed,

and you must be Mrs. Hughes.

"Night Shift"?

Uh

"Night Shift." It's a poem you

printed in "The Observer."

Oh yes, "Night Shift," yes.

- It was a good poem.

- Well, yes, I know.

I wrote it.

- You're Sylvia Plath?

- I am.

- Oh, well, nice to meet you.

- And you.

Tell me, have you

written any others, or?

Yes, I have.

Actually, I have

a book of poems coming out very

shortly called "The Colossus."

- I'd love to read them.

- Thank you. It would be an honor.

Yeah, I spoke to

George about it last week

and he was quite optimistic. It

might take another six months.

Well, the whole thing it's

about putting a face to a name.

For them to put you know, your

name to duh-duh-duh and likewise.

We've got Charlie Hetheringham

here, from the TNS.

We've got Les Robinson

from the "Critical Quarterly."

- That one there?

- Yeah.

And there's "The Telegraph"

and "The Times."

Oh, you see that chap

with the big heels?

He's easy,

he's from "The Listener."

So, it's a good turnout.

That's a good sign,

isn't it, that they all came?

Well, yes, of course.

Don't get your hopes up too high,

but yes it is. It really is.

They're all bloody civil servants

moonlighting as journalists.

It's their job

to protect the status quo.

- It's a tough game.

- Good to see you.

- It's the toughest.

- Mr. Robinson.

Mr. Robinson.

You forgot this.

Oh, thanks.

Do you think

you might be reviewing it?

Well, this,

I shouldn't think so.

We just got the new Pasternak.

Then Betjeman's out next week

and there' an E.E. Cummings

in the pipeline.

Not in the same league

really, is she, this Sylvia?

Plath.

Poor thing,

can't be easy for her,

being married to that.

Still, good party.

Thank the boss.

- This is good.

- What?

By Alvarez.

Very good.

Listen.

"Her poems rest secure"

in a massive experience

"that is never quite brought

out into daylight."

Then there's a quote

and it says,

"It is this sense of threat"

as though she were

continually menaced

by something she could see only

out of the corner of her eye

"that gives her work

its distinction."

What about the rest?

It's a good review.

- One review?

- But it's a good review.

Look, it's hard. You know

it's going to be hard.

- My first book

- Won prizes.

I got it.

Hello?

No, no, No, no problem.

Yes.

Yes. Oh, no,

certainly. Certainly.

Yes no, no, that's no problem.

Good, all right.

Goodbye.

Bye.

That was Moira Doolan, the lady

from the BBC I told you about.

I sent her the idea for the Children's

Radio Series, you remember?

No.

She wants to have lunch.

I think she's interested.

- - That's

short notice, isn't it?

I'll see you later.

Bye.

Yes, is that the BBC?

May I speak to a Moira Doolan

in Children's Radio, please?

Do you have any idea

what time she left?

Did you happen to notice

if she left by herself?

Well, have you any idea if she plans

on coming back there this evening?

I understand, it's

I'm looking for someone

who might have been with her.

His name is Edward Hughes.

My name is

Sylvia Plath-Hughes and I

Don't take that

tone of voice with me.

What the f*** is going on?

- Where have you been?

- What is going on?

- I've been sitting here for 12 hours!

- Christ's sake!

- Where have you been?

- I was at a meeting!

- That was 12 hours ago!

- It was a lunch meeting. It went into dinner.

I called the BBC and they

said Moira Doolan left

She had another meeting.

We met later!

Fiction really isn't

your gift, is it?

- We had dinner.

- Why don't you tell me where you were?

- She's a middle-age woman for Christ's sake.

- Liar!

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes