The Elizabeth Bishop Phenomenon collects Thomas Travisano's enlightening essays about the poet and her work, written over the course of thirty-plus years. Beginning with the founding of the Elizabeth Bishop Society and moving through work on the editing of her letters and the writing of her biography, Travisano charts the steps by which Bishop ascended from a "good minor poet" to being recognized as a major voice in American literature. This career-spanning volume offers a unique window into literary and cultural history and the processes by which entry into the literary canon may be achieved. Travisano's approachable, rigorously researched essays also illustrate the extraordinary range of perspectives from which a great author like Bishop can be read, with pieces concerning issues such as gender, nationality, influence, genre, and the potential for biographical investigation.

By offering a vivid narrative of research on a major twentieth-century American writer, The Elizabeth Bishop Phenomenon provides a close-up view of how a subject grows in stature across many decades of writing and public advocacy.