Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams: Short Stories, Prose, and Diary Excerpts [Paperback]

Sylvia Plath (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2, 2000

"What I fear most, I think, is the death of the imagination.... If I sit still and don't do anything, the world goes on beating like a slack drum, without meaning. We must be moving, working, making dreams to run toward; the poverty of life without dreams is too horrible to imagine."

-- Sylvia Plath, from Notebooks, February 1956

Renowned for her poetry, Sylvia Plath was also a brilliant writer of prose. This collection of short stories, essays, and diary excerpts highlights her fierce concentration on craft, the vitality of her intelligence, and the yearnings of her imaginaton. Featuring an introduction by Plath's husband, the late British poet Ted Hughes, these writings also reflect themes and images she would fully realize in her poetry. Jonny Panic and the Bible of Dreams truly showcases the talent and genius of Sylvia Plath.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sylvia Plath was born in 1932 in Massachusetts. Her books include the poetry collections The Colossus, Crossing the Water, Winter Trees, Ariel, and The Collected Poems, which won the Pulitzer Prize. A complete and uncut facsimile edition of Ariel was published in 2004 with her original selection and arrangement of poems. She was married to the poet Ted Hughes, with whom she had a daughter, Frieda, and a son, Nicholas. She died in London in 1963.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics; Reissue edition (February 2, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060955295
• ISBN-13: 978-0060955298
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #972,912 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All the loose ends, March 24, 2000

By 

The Straw Man "J.E. Hoppock" (Aloof October on April's Birthday) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams (Hardcover)

This book is a collection of short stories, pieces of journals, with bits of poetry in there. Some of the stories are about her and some are just pure fiction, yet it shows the side of Sylvia that is seen in the "Bell Jar". Which means you read Sylvia in the form of stories, not poems. It's all the little things that she did all wrapped into one. However the one thing that's not in here is "The It Doesn't Matter Suit", which is a great little story, so check that out also.

17 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars only for the way obsessed, June 1, 2001

By 

lady detective "sakura kitty" (east coat) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams: Short Stories, Prose, and Diary Excerpts (Paperback)

I love Sylvia Plath. I think she was a brilliant, insightful writer with an incredible sense of craft. I adore The Bell Jar, her poetry is amazing, and I have read biographies on her as well as her letters home, and I am now reading her unabridged journals.

BUT... I found Johnny Panic to be tedious. The stories seemed to be lacking Plath's biting humor, and the journal excerpts were edited, and felt stilted read out of context.

I was dissappointed.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Autobiographical Stories, January 26, 2006

By 

bubblyhayhay (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams: Short Stories, Prose, and Diary Excerpts (Paperback)

I enjoyed this book very much as a fan of Sylvia Plath but wonder whether a regular reader (not a fan) would enjoy it as much.
It has been suggested that the stories are autobiographical which I agree with and it was fascinating because as I read I could hear Plath voicing her opinions through the characters and she really spat her attitude all over the book.
The book is divided into three parts:
The more successful short stories and prose pieces
Other stories
Excerpts from notebooks.
If anyone wants to pick up this book and read a fascinating story (fan or not) then I suggest:
The Wishing Box, which explores the birth of marriage and the death to creativity
Mothers, which explores alienation and a greatly desperate attempt to fit in
And Ocean 1212-W, which is purely autobiographical and explores the loss of childhood innocence.
My favourite story was Snow Blitz. I think this is autobiographical too as it deals with a single Mother (American) living in a small flat in London with two children trying to deal with a bitter cold English winter.
I found this story rather amusing because I'm from the South East of England and snow is rather exciting and magical to us but when it starts to melt and freeze over we, in typical Brit style, start to complain.
If you only read this book for one thing then read the Introduction written by Ted Hughes. He supplies the reader with a great deal of information about the writing of these short stories as well as a lot of information about Plath herself; I certainly learnt a thing or two.