Just out, a new memoir by the American poet Dana Gioia, reprising his delightful New Yorker piece about Bishop, which appeared in the 1990s, as well as encounters with a number of other famous writers who influenced him. I am delighted to write that we will be featuring a review of this book by American poet, scholar and educator Tristan Beach. His review will appear sometime in February. Stay tuned!
“Wonderfully evocative of the literary world in the 1970s and 1980s, these essays are fascinating snapshots of remarkable encounters which, when brought together, chart a delightfully unusual path to literary success.”―Booklist
“In deft, graceful essays, poet, literary critic, and librettist Gioia recalls six 'people of potent personality' who shaped his vocation . . . An appealing literary memoir.”―Kirkus Reviews
“Reading Studying with Miss Bishop is like being at one of those memorable dinner parties, attended by the best and brightest, sparkling with wit and excellent conversations.” ―Julia Alvarez, author of In the Time of the Butterflies and Afterlife
“Gioia has been uncommonly lucky in meeting many major poets, among them Elizabeth Bishop. His portrait of her in these pages is shrewd and subtle. The famously elusive poet quivers into life here.”―Jay Parini, author of Borges and Me: An Encounter
In Studying with Miss Bishop, Dana Gioia discusses six people who helped him become a writer and better understand what it meant to dedicate one’s life to writing. Four were famous authors―Elizabeth Bishop, John Cheever, James Dickey, and Robert Fitzgerald. Two were unknown― Gioia’s Merchant Marine uncle and Ronald Perry, a forgotten poet. Each of the six essays provides a vivid portrait; taken together they tell the story of Gioia’s own journey from working-class L.A. to international literary success.
PUBLICATION DATE: January 12, 2021
ISBN: 9781589881518
CLASSIFICATION: Memoir
SIZE: 5 in. x 8 in.
FORMAT: Trade Paper
PAGES: 184 pp.
PRICE: $16.95
DISTRIBUTED BY: Consortium Books Sales & Distribution 800.283.3572 www.cbsd.com
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Thanks to John for welcoming in 2021. As he wrote, I will be returning to Letters to Aunt Grace, sometime in the near future. Bishop would turn 110 on 8 February, were she alive -- with the pandemic still raging around the world, celebrations on this anniversary will have to be mostly virtual. The EBSNS has set a date for its 2021 AGM -- Saturday 19 June, in Great Village, N.S. Let us hope it can happen this year! Again, stay tuned and thanks for reading the blog.
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