Link to the Show / Show NotesThe embrace of Elizabeth Bishop's modest but exacting body of work into the canon of English literature continues unimpeded. In her lifetime (1911-1979) she was admired and celebrated, acclaimed by fellow poet John Ashbery as "a writer's writer's writer," but it is only since her death that her influence on the literary arts of her time has been fully recognized.
A troubled life was marked by struggle and pain, while her inspirited poetry was painstakingly crafted by determination and integrity. She paid dearly for the precious poetic jewels a now-wider readership has begun to evaluate and treasure. A fascinating prose writer and a phenomenal correspondent, Bishop wrote in whatever medium her voice allowed, always frustrated that there were not more poems emerging from her.
Painter and writer Eric Karpeles will present a talk about Bishop as a celebration at the end of her centenary year, discussing her work, her life, and the world through which she moved. Integrated into Karpeles's talk, Melissa Smith will read poems and excerpts from Bishop's stories and letters.
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