Purchase of Ragged Island Summer Retreat in Maine (1933)
Poet involved
What happened
Millay and her husband Eugen Boissevain purchased Ragged Island in Casco Bay off the coast of Harpswell, Maine, for use as a private summer retreat. The isolated, rugged island became a cherished escape from their primary home at Steepletop.
Literary impact
Life on Ragged Island inspired poems celebrating solitude, nature, and the sea, such as the titular 'Ragged Island,' infusing her later work with vivid imagery of Maine's coastline and a sense of spiritual renewal. The retreat allowed periods of focused writing amid her health challenges and reinforced themes of independence and connection to her rural roots. It provided a counterpoint to her bohemian New York past, enriching her poetry with pastoral and reflective elements that balanced her earlier urban, passionate verse.
Source: Wikipedia
