The Bell Jar

The Bell Jar is the only novel written by the American writer and poet Sylvia Plath. Originally published under the pseudonym "Victoria Lucas" in 1963, the novel is supposedly semi-autobiographical with the names of places and people changed. The book is often regarded as a roman à clef because the protagonist's descent into mental illness parallels Plath's experiences with what may have been clinical depression or bipolar II disorder. Plath died by suicide a month after its first United Kingdom publication.

The novel was published under Plath's name for the first time in 1967. It was not published in the United States until 1971, in accordance with the wishes of both Plath's ex-husband Ted Hughes and her mother. In the United States, the book became an instant best seller, and has since been translated into nearly a dozen languages.