Oddcast episode

July 5, 2026

Dorka Tamás on Sylvia Plath and the Supernatural

Triple-Face Self-Portrait by Sylvia Plath, c. 1950-1951 Courtesy The Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, © Estate of Sylvia Plath

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‘Dying is an art like everything else. I do it exceptionally well.’

– Sylvia Plath, ‘Lady Lazarus’

We speak with researcher Dorka Tamás, whose twin fascinations with the poetry of Sylvia Plath and with `the supernatural’ have led her to publish a book on both subjects. We discuss:

  • The all-too-short life and extraordinary poetic output of Sylvia Plath,
  • Tamás’ choice of the term ‘supernatural’ (as opposed to e.g. ‘occult’) for discussing the oogly-boogly side of Plath’s work,
  • The rôles of witches in Plath’s poetry,
  • Poetic creation as magical act,
  • What’s magical about bees,
  • And much more.

We also listen to Plath reading two of her poems, recorded shortly before her death for the BBC.

Interview Bio:

Dorka Tamás is a researcher specialising in modern poetry in the Euro-diaspora and magic. Her new study of Plath, pictured right, can be had from the CUP at a 20% discount if you cite the promo code SPTS2026 and tell them the SHWEP sent you (actually, you don’t need to mention the SHWEP).

Works Cited in this Episode:

Our interview with Jason Josephson-Storm on James George Frazer and esotericism can be heard here.

Primary:

By Sylvia Plath:

  • The Colossus and Other Poems. London: Heinemann, 1960.
  • The Bell Jar. (Originally published in the US under the name Victoria Lucas in 1963). London: Heinemann 1964 as Sylvia Plath.
  • Ariel. Collection of poetry published posthumously in 1965 (Harper & Row).

Secondary:

James George Frazer. The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion. Macmillan & Co., New York, NY/London, 3rd edition, 1906–1915.

Julia Gordon-Bramer. The Occult Sylvia Plath: The Hidden Spiritual Life of the Visionary Poet. Destiny Books, 2024.

Margaret Murray. The Witch-Cult in Western Europe. A Study in Anthropology. Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1921.

Recommended Reading:

Helen Bain. The Daffodil Days. Bloomsbury, London, 2026 [a fictional account of Plath’s Devon years, but Dr Tamás rates it as an accurate and good treatment, so have a go …].

Heather Clark. Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath. Alfred A. Knopf, 2020.

Dorka Tamás. Sylvia Plath and the Supernatural. The University Press, Cambridge, 2026.

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