Synopses & Reviews
Elizabeth Bishop's World War II-Cold War View offers the first comprehensive portrayal of the poet in mid-century America. The elusive story of Bishops national, cultural, and literary politics during the World War II-Cold War period is finally brought into sharp focus as the book traces her life and writing from the war years spent in Key West through her tenure as the 1949-1950 national poet laureate. Our understanding of Bishop is completely reshaped by this studys unique ability to easily move back and forth between a wide-ranging cultural critique of mid-twentieth-century America and a careful, close, and chronological reading of the poet. Roman's study is ideal for students of American poetry, contemporary poetry, and American literature.
Review
"In this fascinating study of the year Elizabeth Bishop (1911-79) spent as poet laureate of the United States, Roman paints a compelling portrait of the United States just as it was throwing itself into the Cold War. Well written, succinct, and highly recommended.” —Diane Gardner Premo,
Library Journal"...Roman's detailed and sensitive analysis adds greatly to the reader's understanding of the poet and her work."--A.E. McKim, Choice
"...increases our knowledge of Bishop's work and enhances our understanding of the...context in which it was produced."---The New England Quarterly
Synopsis
This book offers the first comprehensive portrayal of the poet in mid-20th century America.
About the Author
Camille Roman is Assistant Professor of English at Washington State University, has co-edited nearly a dozen books and is currently co-editing the three volume anthology
American Poetry 1650-2000.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Bishop's WWII-Cold War View * Re-Viewing Bishop: From the Critics Desk * In Key West Overlooking World War II * Bishops Visions of "Unwanted Love, Conceit, & War" * Watching the Cold War Begin * From A Poets Window: Washington, 1949-1950 * Conclusion: "To See the End"