Elizabeth Bishop

An American Poet, Elizabeth Bishop became famous for her various science-related poems. The titles of her works, 'North and South – A Cold Spring' (1956), 'North and South, Brazil' (1946), 'Elsewhere (1965), and 'Geography III' (1976) all reflect her love for science and travel. Her greatest achievement was the Pulitzer Prize Award that she received in 1956 for her poem, 'North and South – A Cold Spring'. She was even called by Donald Hall (one of the reviewers for the Pulitzer Prize Award) 'one of the best poets alive' and 'one of the shining, central talents of our day' by Robert Mazzocco.

Born on 8 February 1911, Elizabeth experienced a series of tragedies in her early life. She lost her father when she was just eight months old due to a serious disease. Soon afterwards, she and her mother were forced to migrate to Nova Scotia. Later, her mother suffered from nervous breakdowns and was confined to a mental hospital, whereupon Elizabeth stayed with her siblings without any parent. Despite all the disasters in her life, she became content and happy in Nova Scotia. She was even inspired to write her prose, 'In the Village'.

She started her career in 1934 when she was influenced by her confidant, Marianne Moore, to pursue a career in poetry. Upon finishing her studies, she decided to move to New York City, where she wrote her first book, 'North and South', which reflected her interests in the relationship of humans with the world.

Elizabeth was truly one of the greatest poets. Some of her remarkable prose was 'In the Waiting Room' and 'The Country Mouse'.