Body of this death

About this book

Louise Bogan was born on August 11, 1897 in Livermore Falls, Maine. This was a time where women were often thought to be incapable of doing well in college, and Louise's family was fairly poor. It was also fairly chaotic. Louise's mother had a mental illness and would vanish at random times, as well as indulge in affairs. All of these impacted Louise's world view. Louise persevered. Her talents were noticed and she was sponsored to attend first a top-notch high school and then Boston University. She stayed at BU for a year before moving with her husband to New York to focus on her writing. They then traveled, including living near the Panama Canal. She separated from her husband in 1919, and in 1920 he passed away from an illness. She was then on her own at age 23. While some poets languish in obscurity before finally being recognized, Louise was fortunate enough to be recognized from an early age. She traveled fairly extensively and earned the poetry editor position at The New Yorker. Quite a feat! In part due to this, Louise was able to hobnob with the poets of the era - William Carlos William, Malcolm Cowley, Lola Reed, and more. Her own poetry was appreciated and she was able to talk in depth with other poets about their craft. This book here, Body of This Death, was her very first book of poetry, published in 1923. She was 26 years old. By 1945 she was appointed Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. Louise lived a good, long life, finally passing away at age 72 in 1970. She saw a wealth of changes in her lifetime. I hope you enjoy this poetry as much as I do. I'd love to hear your thoughts!