Elizabeth bishop biography and influences
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~LAURA EBBERSON~
ELIZABETH BISHOP'S POETIC VOICE: RECONCILING INFLUENCES
To begin to understand Bishop’s unique style,
which is the source of the two apparently
opposing interpretations of her work
and the subsequent critical controversy,
one must really start with Moore and Lowell,
who influenced her throughout her career.
With Alice Quinn’s recent publication of Elizabeth Bishop’s uncollected poems, drafts and fragments titled Edgar Allan Poe and the Jukebox, she has stirred up new discussion and debate about the mid-twentieth century poet. Critics are disagreeing over how the collection will affect readers’ perception of the poet. Adam Kirsch believes that the collection can increase readers’ understanding and admiration of Bishop (Times Literary Supplement). He sees the collection as “chosen material that cast a great deal of light on Bishop’s mind an•
Elizabeth Bishop Biography
On February 8, 1911, Elizabeth Bishop was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. The only child of a successful builder, Bishop's father died when she was less than a year old. Her mother's mental health rapidly deteriorated after her husband's death, and she was institutionalized in 1916. Bishop never saw her mother igen.
In her early childhood, Bishop moved to a small farming town in Nova Scotia with her maternal grandparents and was raised there. Eventually, her father's wealthy family got custody of Bishop and brought her back to Massachusetts. Bishop was deeply unhappy in Worcester, describing the shift in custody as a "kidnapping" and developing eczema sores and intense asthma that caused her to be confined to bed rest.
Worried about her health, her grandparents sent Bishop to live with her mother's sister in a run-down harbor town outside of Boston. Bishop's health recovered with the help of her aunts. When her asthma returned, and she had to miss
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Elizabeth Bishop
American poet and short-story writer (1911–1979)
For other people named Elizabeth Bishop, see Elizabeth Bishop (disambiguation).
Elizabeth Bishop (February 8, 1911 – October 6, 1979) was an American poet and short-story writer. She was Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 1949 to 1950, the Pulitzer Prize winner for Poetry in 1956,[1] the National Book Award winner in 1970, and the recipient of the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 1976.[2]Dwight Garner argued in 2018 that she was perhaps "the most purely gifted poet of the 20th century".[3] She was also a painter, and her poetry is noted for its careful attention to detail; Ernest Hilbert wrote “Bishop’s poetics is one distinguished by tranquil observation, craft-like accuracy, care for the small things of the world, a miniaturist’s discretion and attention."[4]
Early life
[edit]Bishop, an only child, was born in Worcester, Massachusetts