A review by oliviasbookshop
One Art by Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Giroux

5.0

Three months, 541 letters, and 639 pages later — EB was terrified of reading in front of a crowd, loved cats, and had a ping-pong table in her dining room. She wrote to her friends about everything from flowers and books to architecture and her pet toucan Sammy. During a visit to St. John’s in 1932 she wrote: “The streets and houses all fall down toward the water — apparently supported on the masts of the sealers and schooners below.” I’ll miss reading these letters before bed — I think I’ll keep it on my bedside table just in case.