Poetry and Psychoanalysis

It was a pleasure to welcome Anne Alvarez and Kate Cogan (grandmother and mother of Cass and Tommy) to last night’s talk, given to Sixth Form English Lit and Psychology students.

Anne and Kate came in to share their thoughts and experiences with the life and works of Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath; poets who we teach as part of both the iGCSE and A-Level curriculums.

Anne is an eminent psychoanalyst whose husband, Al Alvarez was poetry editor of the Observer in the 1960s, championing the work and becoming a personal friend of Plath and Hughes. Anne shared her very personal memories and perspectives in a moving and memorable way.

Kate is writing a creative memoir, based on some artefacts from this time inherited from her father. We had an hour of fascinating wide-ranging and deeply-affecting discussion, which had the pupils mesmerized.

Their study of this poetry is immeasurably enriched.

It was an evening to remember, and we wish to say a huge thank you to Anne and Kate.