Literary Landmark: Elizabeth Bishop’s Key West house
Key West, Fla.
Dedicated: 1993
Elizabeth Bishop’s home in Key West, Florida was designated a Literary Landmark in 1993. The ceremony was conducted at the 11th Annual Key West Literary Seminar. The plaque was unveiled by Pulitzer prize-winning poet, and close friend of Bishop, James Merrill.
Elizabeth Bishop was born in 1911 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Her life was not an easy one as her father passed away while she was very young and her mother was hospitalized in a sanitarium. Bishop spent time in New England and Nova Scotia with numerous family members.
Bishop attended Vassar College where she continued to write poetry. She became close friends with fellow author Marianne Moore. The two remained friends until Moore’s death in 1972.
Bishop moved to Florida where she stayed for four years. She composed a short book of poems, North and South, about her time in Florida. After her time in Florida, Bishop moved to Brazil where she spent a great deal of time.
Elizabeth Bishop won the Pulitzer Prize, two fellowships, and served as Poetry Consultant to the Library of Congress. Bishop died October 6th, 1979 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Resources:
Elizabeth Bishop (The Academy of American Poets)
