Love and Death: Elegies for Poets by Berryman, Lowell and Bishop

Close Readings

The confessional poets of the mid-20th century considered themselves a ‘doomed’ generation, with a cohesive identity and destiny. Their intertwining personal lives were laid bare in their work, and Robert Lowell, John Berryman and Elizabeth Bishop returned repeatedly to the elegy to commemorate old friends and settle old scores.In this episode, Mark and Seamus turn to elegies for poets by poets, tracing the intricate connections between them. Lowell, Berryman and Bishop’s work was offset by a deep commitment to the literary tradition, and Mark and Seamus identify their shared influences and anxieties.

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Find further reading in the LRB:

Mark Ford: No One Else Can Take a Bath for You

https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v10/n07/mark-ford/no-one-else-can-take-a-bath-for-you

Karl Miller: Some Names for Robert Lowell

https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v05/n09/karl-miller/some-names-for-robert-lowell

Nicholas Everett: Two Americas and a Scotland

https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v12/n18/nicholas-everett/two-americas-and-a-scotland

Helen Vendler: The Numinous Moose

https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v15/n05/helen-vendler/the-numinous-moose

Get the books: https://lrb.me/crbooklist

Next episode: Self-elegies by Hardy, Larkin and Plath.

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