John Peale Bishop
Encyclopedia
John Peale Bishop was an American
poet
and man of letters.
Bishop was born in Charles Town, West Virginia
, to a family from New England
, and attended school in Hagerstown, Maryland
. When 18, Bishop fell victim to a severe illness and lost his sight for some time. He entered Princeton University
in 1913, at age 21, where he became friends with Edmund Wilson
and F. Scott Fitzgerald
. He graduated from Princeton in 1917 and served with the army for two years in Europe. He was the model for the character Thomas Parke D'Invilliers
in Fitzgerald's first novel, This Side of Paradise
.
Upon return to the United States, he wrote poetry, as well as essays and reviews for Vanity Fair
in New York City
. In 1922 he married Margaret Hutchins, and they soon moved to France where they lived until 1933, punctuated by one stint for Paramount Pictures
in New York (1925-6). While in France they bought the Château de Tressancourt at Orgeval, Seine et Oise, near Paris
, where they raised three sons.
In 1933 his family returned to the United States, residing first in Connecticut
, then New Orleans, and finally in a house on Cape Cod
. His novel Act of Darkness, based on the true story of the rape of a prominent Charles Town social figure by a local Charles Town man, caused a scandal in the town when it was published. He became chief poetry reviewer for The Nation (1940), in 1941-2 he served as publications director in the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
, and was then invited to be Resident Fellow at the Library of Congress
. He died within a few months of his appointment, on April 4, 1944, in Hyannis, Massachusetts
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and man of letters.
Bishop was born in Charles Town, West Virginia
Charles Town, West Virginia
Charles Town is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,907 at the 2000 census. Due to its similar name, travelers have sometimes confused this city with the state's capital, Charleston.-History:...
, to a family from New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, and attended school in Hagerstown, Maryland
Hagerstown, Maryland
Hagerstown is a city in northwestern Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Washington County, and, by many definitions, the largest city in a region known as Western Maryland. The population of Hagerstown city proper at the 2010 census was 39,662, and the population of the...
. When 18, Bishop fell victim to a severe illness and lost his sight for some time. He entered Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in 1913, at age 21, where he became friends with Edmund Wilson
Edmund Wilson
Edmund Wilson was an American writer and literary and social critic and noted man of letters.-Early life:Wilson was born in Red Bank, New Jersey. His father, Edmund Wilson, Sr., was a lawyer and served as New Jersey Attorney General. Wilson attended The Hill School, a college preparatory...
and F. Scott Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost...
. He graduated from Princeton in 1917 and served with the army for two years in Europe. He was the model for the character Thomas Parke D'Invilliers
Thomas Parke D'Invilliers
Thomas Parke D'Invilliers is both a pen name of Francis Scott Fitzgerald and a character in his quasi-autobiographical first novel, This Side Of Paradise...
in Fitzgerald's first novel, This Side of Paradise
This Side of Paradise
This Side of Paradise is the debut novel of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Published in 1920, and taking its title from a line of the Rupert Brooke poem Tiare Tahiti, the book examines the lives and morality of post-World War I youth. Its protagonist, Amory Blaine, is an attractive Princeton University...
.
Upon return to the United States, he wrote poetry, as well as essays and reviews for Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (American magazine 1913-1936)
Vanity Fair was an American society magazine published from 1913-1936. It was highly successful until the Great Depression led to it becoming unprofitable, and it was merged into Vogue magazine in 1936.-History:...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In 1922 he married Margaret Hutchins, and they soon moved to France where they lived until 1933, punctuated by one stint for Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
in New York (1925-6). While in France they bought the Château de Tressancourt at Orgeval, Seine et Oise, near Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where they raised three sons.
In 1933 his family returned to the United States, residing first in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, then New Orleans, and finally in a house on Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
. His novel Act of Darkness, based on the true story of the rape of a prominent Charles Town social figure by a local Charles Town man, caused a scandal in the town when it was published. He became chief poetry reviewer for The Nation (1940), in 1941-2 he served as publications director in the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
The Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs was a United States agency promoting inter-American cooperation during the 1940s, especially in commercial and economic areas...
, and was then invited to be Resident Fellow at the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
. He died within a few months of his appointment, on April 4, 1944, in Hyannis, Massachusetts
Hyannis, Massachusetts
Hyannis is the largest of seven villages in Barnstable, Massachusetts. Also it is the commercial and transportation hub of Cape Cod and was designated an urban area as a result of the 1990 census. Because of this, many refer to Hyannis as the "Capital of the Cape"...
.
Selected works
- Green Fruit, poetry, 1917
- The Undertaker’s Garland, with Edmund WilsonEdmund WilsonEdmund Wilson was an American writer and literary and social critic and noted man of letters.-Early life:Wilson was born in Red Bank, New Jersey. His father, Edmund Wilson, Sr., was a lawyer and served as New Jersey Attorney General. Wilson attended The Hill School, a college preparatory...
, decorations by Boris ArtzybasheffBoris ArtzybasheffBoris Artzybasheff was an American illustrator active in the United States, notable for his strongly worked and often surreal designs....
, poetry, 1922 - Many Thousands Gone, short stories, 1931
- Now With His Love, poetry, 1933
- Act of Darkness, novel, 1935
- Minute Particulars, poetry, 1935
- Selected Poems, 1941
- The Collected Essays of John Peale Bishop, posthumous, 1948
- The Republic of Letters in America, posthumous collection of letters with Allen TateAllen TateJohn Orley Allen Tate was an American poet, essayist, social commentator, and Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 1943 to 1944.-Life:...
, 1981
Further reading
- Spindler, Elizabeth Carroll. John Peale Bishop: A Biography. Morgantown, WV: West Virginia University, 1980.