Colm Toíbín, author of On Elizabeth Bishop, has a lovely long reflection at the Guardian about Bishop’s friendship with Thom Gunn, and the parallels in the artists’ life and work. Bishop and Gunn both shied away from writing about mentally ill mothers and queer relationships for most of their lives, although Gunn addressed both in the 1990s. The piece is full of lovely, quiet quotes that reveal a relationship of abiding affection, and some interesting thoughts about how biography may have informed craft for two masters of poetic form.
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