bitter intensity

What is the meaning of bitter intensity? For example:

Here and there we find a slight suggestion of the bitter intensity of the poet X.

Solution 1:

I don't think the phrase has any idiomatic significance. Its meaning is derived from the words constituting it.

Bitter has a negative connotation. For example, if we say that A and B are bitter enemies, it indicates a heightened level of animosity between them. Bitterness can also indicate cynicism or contempt. For example, one might say that losing his wife to a doctor's negligence has made XYZ bitter towards the medical profession.

Merriam-Webster:Bitter

Intensity implies ardency, fervour or passion.

Merriam-Webster:Intensity

Therefore, it is my guess that bitter intensity of a poet would indicate a generally negative outlook that the poet has harped upon with great fervor. In other words, saying that a person is bitterly intense implies that he is someone who might be persistently negative or bleak in his worldview.

However, this is only my interpretation.