A close reading of Elizabeth Bishop
A new book on Elizabeth Bishop offers readers a revealing look at how the professional and private lives of one of the greatest American poets of the 20th century often converged. “Elizabeth Bishop: A Miracle for Breakfast” by Megan Marshall ’77, winner of a Pulitzer Prize in 2014 for “Margaret Fuller: A New American Life,” is informed by both a fresh trove of Bishop’s letters and the author’s own experience — the young Marshall took a poetry composition seminar taught by Bishop. Though never comfortable at the head of a classroom, Bishop imparted lessons that made a lasting impression on her future biographer, including the idea that poetry cannot be taught. Marshall, a former fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, spoke with the Gazette about her encounters with Bishop in life and on the page. GAZETTE: Why did you decide to write a book about Elizabeth Bishop? MARSHALL: She...