What is a summary of Ted Hughes's Birthday Letters?

Birthday Letters is Ted Hughes's collection of 88 poems addressed to his first wife and a fellow writer, Sylvia Plath. Written after a now-famous period of silence, it is a vulnerable portrait of memory, love, and grief. The collection offers a rare and raw glimpse into Hughes's often volatile relationship with Plath and his efforts to cope with her suicide. Widely considered to be Hughes's most personal and masterful collection, it veers starkly from the non-autobiographical approach that characterizes the majority of his successful earlier works.
Birthday Letters continues to resonate with readers in a timeless way. This is partially due to Plath's status as a literary icon, the public interest surrounding their relationship, and Hughes's mastery of the written word. In a larger sense, Hughes's willingness to be fully exposed at his most distraught allows the collection to become much more than mere autobiography. It is often revered as a powerful, poignant encapsulation of a universal human experience.