[Michael Juster]

My thoughts on the new Elizabeth Bishop biography & Bishop more broadly: http://www.claremont.org/crb/basicpa...zabeth-bishop/

[Catherine Chandler]

Thanks for the heads-up, Mike.

[john savoie]

So glad to read this, Michael. Having been taught in grad school what a great poet EB was, I wondered on what basis the trending academy came to this decision. I remained appreciative of her poetry, but unpersuaded by larger claims. As you have succinctly argued from evidence, she is a good poet, not a great one--and there is nothing wrong with that.

[Jennifer Reeser]

Mattix has quoted you in this morning's edition of PRUFROCK, Mike. I just posted it on social media:

" "A 'great' poet...offers a vision and body of work that provokes strong emotions and worthwhile reflection. [Elizabeth] Bishop is too self-absorbed to meet that standard. Moreover, with just a few exceptions, her subject matter has such limited range that one can create a template for much of her poetry."

http://www.prufrocknews.com/

Jenn

[Roger Slater]

I think "In the Waiting Room" is a truly great poem. I'm not nearly as in love with most of her other poems, though.

[Michael F]

I thought this was a pretty fair estimate of Bishop, and I particularly like the first sentence that Jennifer quoted.

As I recall Bishop has a few ‘great’ poems, but many that suffocate from surfeit of description, and/or drift away with a lack heft. Marianne Moore also sometimes gets bogged down by excessive description, but she more frequently surprises me with a striking ethical or even religious assertion. I re-read Moore over the holidays and was surprised at how much there was to like. Maybe I’ve just grown a bit since I last read her...

Anyway, the review was a good read, thanks for posting it.

[Terese Coe]

I've printed this out to read in the sunshine.

Congratulations, Michael!

[Rick Mullin]

Interesting, Michael. I have been prompted by what I've read of this book and hearing the author interviewed on NPR to get around to reading it, but have somehow started reading the biography of Lowell by Ian Hamilton in the meantime. I don't want to think about why that is.

RM

[Tim Murphy]

I read the review, following the Weekly Standard's link, and sent Mike this forty-year-old anecdote.

Tim: Mr. Warren, what do you think of Elizabeth Bishop?

No fire in her belly.

What about her translations of Carlos Drummond de Andrade?

Not her belly, boy.

[James Brancheau]

What do you get out of making a great poet good Mike? Focus on your own craft and grow. Like your former boss. He's a painter now, right?