Elizabeth Bishop (1911-1979) fits the oft-believed stereotype of the writer or artist who becomes mor famous after her death than during her life. She has a towering reputation today as one of the finest American poets of the 20th century – and she had a total of 90 poems published during her lifetime.
As professor and author Jonathan Post points out in Elizabeth Bishop: A Very Short Introduction, her timing for fame – like the sense of timing in her poetry – was perfect. The end of her life occurred as feminism was going mainstream in American culture. It also helped that her poetry was approachable – you didn’t need a college degree to read and enjoy it, as Post says, calling her poetry “casually perfect.”
To continue reading, please see my post today at Tweetspeak Poetry.
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