An unexpected celebration of two of the most famous female poets of all time, Taylor Swift and Sylvia Plath, and an inspired essay on female ambition by the adored cult author of Bluets and The Argonauts. In The Slicks, Maggie Nelson positions culture-dominating pop superstar Taylor Swift and feminist cult icon Sylvia Plath as twin hosts of the female urge toward wanting hard, working hard, and pouring forth and as twinned targets of patriarchy’s ancient urge to disparage, trivialise and demonise such prolific, intimate output. The Slicks is a heady, rallying and unexpected melding of popular culture and literary criticism, an inspired treatise and unexpected celebration of two iconic female poets by one of the most revered and influential critics of her generation.
