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The Loves of Elizabeth Bishop

Novelist Neel Mukherjee talks about the abiding reticence that characterises the work and the life of American poet Elizabeth Bishop, particularly in relation to her sexuality.

Novelist Neel Mukherjee on the abiding reticence that characterises the work and the life of American poet Elizabeth Bishop, particularly in relation to her sexuality. Mukherjee explores the two great loves of Bishop's life: the Brazilian architect Lota de Macedo Soares and American student Alice Methfessel, who was 32 years her junior.

Part of Gay Britannia, a season of programming marking the 50th anniversary of The Sexual Offences Act 1967, which partially decriminalised homosexual acts that took place in private between two men over the age of 21.

Writer: Neel Mukherjee
Reader: Neel Mukherjee
Producer: Simon Richardson.

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15 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Thu 13 Jul 2017 22:45
  • Thu 11 Oct 2018 22:45

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