L2L Elizabeth Bishop

North & South

Elizabeth Bishop

Born in Massachusetts, Elizabeth Bishop spent a portion of her childhood in Nova Scotia following the death of her father and institutionalization of her mother. Bishop herself was ill throughout her life as well and often lacked a “stable” place in which she felt rooted — shuffled when young from her maternal grandparents to her father’s wealthier family and then back to the far-more modest Revere world of her aunts. She enrolled at Vassar with the intention of becoming a composer but soon turned to literary pursuits instead. A love of travel also took her to France and Brazil, staying fifteen years in the latter. Recognized as a major American poet, Bishop published little in her lifetime, often with large gaps between collections. This week, Leigh, P. T., and Dr. C explore the challenges and advantages Bishop had in her life along with some of her work — including recordings from the poet herself.

Recordings available via Harvard’s The Listening Booth.