I Am in Need of Music
Over my fretful, feeling fingertips,
Over…
Elizabeth Bishop (1911-1979) was an acclaimed American poet and short-story writer, known for her meticulous craftsmanship and unique observational style. Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, she experienced early personal upheavals with the death of her father when she was an infant and her mother’s subsequent institutionalization. Raised by relatives in Nova Scotia and later in Massachusetts, Bishop's early life profoundly shaped her world view and writing.
Educated at Vassar College, she developed a lifelong friendship with fellow poet Marianne Moore, who greatly influenced her work. Bishop’s poetry is characterized by precise descriptions and a keen focus on the physical world, often revealing deeper emotional currents beneath seemingly mundane details. Her first collection, "North & South" (1946), won critical acclaim, and her second, "A Cold Spring" (1955), earned her the Pulitzer Prize.
A dedicated traveler, Bishop lived in various parts of the world, most notably Brazil, where she spent nearly two decades with her partner, Lota de Macedo Soares. This period was highly productive, inspiring much of her later work. Her third collection, "Questions of Travel" (1965), reflects her experiences abroad. Bishop's final major work, "Geography III" (1976), cemented her reputation as one of the 20th century’s most important and innovative poets. Despite her relatively small output, Bishop's work is revered for its precision, depth, and elegiac beauty.