1984 in poetry

Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature (for instance, Irish or France).

List of years in poetry (table)
… 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 …
In literature 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987
Art Archaeology Architecture Literature Music Philosophy Science +...

Events

• December 19 – Ted Hughes' appointment as Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom in succession to Sir John Betjeman is announced,^[1] Philip Larkin having turned down the post.
• After Ghazi al-Gosaibi, the Saudi Arabian minister of health, publishes a poem, "A Pen Bought and Sold", that criticizes the corruption and privilege of the country's elite, he is dismissed from his post.^[2]
• Prvoslav Vujčić's second collection of poems, Kastriranje vetra ("Castration of the Wind"), written during a week's imprisonment in Tuzla for criticising the state, is prohibited in Yugoslavia.
• Scottish Poetry Library established.

Works published in English

Listed by nation where the work was first published and again by the poet's native land, if different; substantially revised works listed separately:

Australia

• Robert Gray, The Skylight
• Jeff Guess, Leaving Maps, Adelaide: Friendly Street Poets^[3]
• Chris Wallace-Crabbe, D. Goodman and D.J. Hearn, editors, Clubbing of the Gunfire: 101 Australian War Poems, Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, anthology

Canada

• Roo Borson, The Whole Night, Coming Home, ISBN 0-7710-1579-8 (nominated for a Governor General's Award) American-Canadian
• Dionne Brand, Chronicles of the Hostile Sun
• Leonard Cohen, Book of Mercy^[4]
• Robert Finch, Double Tuning. Erin, ON: Porcupine's Quill.<finch/>
• Robert Finch, Sailboat and Lake.. Erin, ON: Porcupine's Quill.^[5]
• Paulette Jiles, Celestial Navigation
• George Johnston, Ask Again.^[6]
• Irving Layton, The Love Poems of Irving Layton: With Reverence & Delight. Oakville, Ontario: Mosaic Press, 1984.^[7]
• Irving Layton, A Spider Danced a Cosy Jig. Toronto: Stoddart.^[7]
• Dorothy Livesay, Feeling the Worlds: New Poems. Fredericton: Goose Lane.^[8]
• Miriam Mandel, The Collected Poems of Miriam Mandel. Sheila Watson, ed. Edmonton: Longspoon Press.^[9] ISBN 0-920316-50-6 ISBN 978-0920316504
• Michael Ondaatje, Secular Love, Toronto: Coach House Press, ISBN 0-88910-288-0, ISBN 0-393-01991-8 ; New York: W. W. Norton, 1985^[10]
• James Reaney, Imprecations: The Art of Swearing. Black Moss Press.
• Charles Sangster, The St. Lawrence and the Saguenary and other poems (revised edition), edited by Frank M. Tierney (Tecumseh) ^[11]
• Raymond Souster, Jubilee of Death: The Raid On Dieppe. Ottawa: Oberon Press.^[12]
• Raymond Souster, Queen City. Ottawa: Oberon Press.^[12]

India, in English

• Kamala Das, Collected Poems Volume 1 ( Poetry in English ), Trivandrum: Kamala Das^[13]
• Nissim Ezekiel, Latter-Day Psalms ( Poetry in English ), Delhi^[14]
• Arvind Krishna Mehrotra, Middle Earth ( Poetry in English ), New Delhi: Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-561604-9^[15]
• Suniti Namjoshi, From the Bedside Book of Nightmares ( Poetry in English ), Fredericton, New Brunswick : Fiddlehead, ISBN 0-86492-031-8^[16]

Ireland

• Seamus Heaney Northern Ireland native at this time living in the United States:
  • Hailstones, Gallery Press
  • Station Island,^[17] Faber & Faber,
  • Sweeney Astray (see also Sweeney's Flight 1992)^[17]
  • Verses for a Fordham Commencement, Nadja Press
• Thomas McCarthy, The Non-Aligned Storyteller, Anvil Press, London, Ireland^[18]
• Medbh McGuckian, Venus and the Rain, first edition (see revised edition 1994), Oldcastle: The Gallery Press^[19]
• Derek Mahon, A Kensington Notebook,^[17] Northern Ireland poet published in the United Kingdom
• Paul Muldoon, editor, The Faber Book of Contemporary Irish Poetry, an anthology of works by Patrick Kavanagh, Louis MacNeice, Thomas Kinsella, John Montague, Seamus Heaney, Michael Longley, Derek Mahon, Paul Durcan, Tom Paulin and Medbh McGuckian.^[20]

New Zealand

• Fleur Adcock, editor, Oxford Book of Contemporary New Zealand Poetry
• Charles Brasch, Collected Poems, Auckland: Oxford University Press, posthumous^[21]
• Alan Brunton, And She Said, New York:Red Mole^[22]
• Lauris Edmond, Selected Poems, winner of the Commonwealth Poetry Prize in 1985^[23]
• Bill Manhire, Zoetropes: Poems 1972-82
• Cilla McQueen, Anti Gravity^[24]
• Ian Wedde:
  • Georgicon
  • Tales of Gotham City

United Kingdom

• Peter Ackroyd, T. S. Eliot: A Life (biography)
• Samuel Beckett, Collected Poems 1930–78^[17]
• James Berry (editor), News for Babylon: The Chatto Book of Westindian-British Poetry^[25]
• Alison Brackenbury, Breaking Ground^[17]
• George Mackay Brown, Christmas Poems^[17]
• Charles Causley, Secret Destinations^[17]
• David Constantine, Mappa Mundi^[17]
• Gavin Ewart:
  • The Ewart Quarto^[17]
  • Festival Nights^[17]
• U. A. Fanthorpe, Voices Off^[17]
• Alison Fell, Kisses for Mayakovsky^[17]
• James Fenton, Children in Exile: Poems 1968-1984 Salamander Press version, poems from this volume were combined with those from The Memory of War to make the Penguin volume titled The Memory of War and Children in Exile; that combined volume was published in the United States, also under the title Children in Exile^[26]
• Roy Fuller, Mianserin Sonnets^[17]
• Geoffrey Grigson, Montaigne's Tower, and Other Poems^[17]
• Seamus Heaney Northern Ireland native at this time living in the United States:
  • Hailstones, Gallery Press
  • Station Island,^[17] Faber & Faber,
  • Sweeney Astray (see also Sweeney's Flight 1992)^[17]
  • Verses for a Fordham Commencement, Nadja Press
• John Hegley, Visions of the Bone Idol (Poems about Dogs and Glasses)
• Selima Hill, Saying Hello at the Station^[17]
• Liz Lochhead, Dreaming Franenstein and Collected Poems (includes Memo for Spring 1972, Islands 1978, The Grimm Sisters 1981)^[17]
• Medbh McGuckian, Venus and the Rain^[17]
• Derek Mahon, A Kensington Notebook,^[17] Northern Ireland poet published in the United Kingdom
• E. A. Markham, Human Rites^[17]
• Christopher Middleton, Serpentine^[17]
• Edwin Morgan, Sonnets from Scotland^[17]
• Blake Morrison, Dark Glasses^[17]
• Andrew Motion, Dangerous Play^[17]
• Grace Nichols, The Fat Black Woman's Poems,^[17] Virago
• Fiona Pitt-Kethley, London^[17]
• Peter Porter, Fast Forward^[17]
• Craig Raine, Rich^[17]
• Peter Reading, C^[17]
• Jeremy Reed, By the Fisheries^[17]
• Charles Tomlinson, Notes from New York; and Other Poems^[17]

United States

• John Ashbery, A Wave, awarded the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize and the Bollingen Prize
• Charles Bernstein and Bruce Andrews, The L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E Book, "selected" pieces from the 13 issues of L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E magazine (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press)
• Joseph Brodsky, To Urania
• Alan Brunton, And She Said, Red Mole, book by a New Zealand poet published in the United States^[22]
• Louise Erdrich, Jacklight
• Seamus Heaney Northern Ireland native at this time living in the United States:
  • Station Island, Faber & Faber,
  • Verses for a Fordham Commencement, Nadja Press
  • Hailstones, Gallery Press* Denise Levertov, Breathing the Water, her 19th book of poetry
• Sharon Olds, The Dead and the Living
• Michael Palmer, First Figure (North Point Press)
• Molly Peacock, Raw Heaven
• Kenneth Rexroth, Selected Poems
• Rosmarie Waldrop, Differences for Four Hands (Singing Horse)

Criticism, scholarship and biography in the United States

• 'The Rhapsodic Fallacy' by Mary Kinzie appears in Salmagundi 65

Other English language

• Judith Moffett, James Merrill: An Introduction to the Poetry
• Hariprasad Sastri, editor and translator, Indian Mystic Verse, 3rd revised and enlarged edition; New Delhi: Macmillan (first edition 1941) anthology^[27]

Works published in other languages

Denmark

• Klaus Høeck; Denmark:
  • Blåvand revisited, with Asger Schnack, publisher: Schønberg^[28]
  • International Klein Bleu, publisher: Gyldendal^[28]
  • Marienbad, publisher: Brøndum^[28]
• Henrik Nordbrandt, 84 digte ("84 Poems"); Copenhagen: Gylendal, 125 pages^[29]

Poland

• S. Barańczak, editor, Poeta pamieta ("The poet remembers"), anthology^[30]
• Stanisław Barańczak, Uciekinier z utopii. O poezji Zbigniewa Herberta ("Fugitive from Utopia: On the Poetry of Zbigniew Herbert"), criticism; London: Polonia^[31]
• Czesław Miłosz, Nieobjeta ziemia ("The Unencompassed Earth"); Paris: Instytut Literacki^[32]
• Jarosław Marek Rymkiewicz, Mogila Ordona ("Ordon's Grave")^[31]

India

Listed in alphabetical order by first name:

• Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Nuskha-hae Wafa; Urdu-language^[33]* Nirendranath Chakravarti; Bengali-language:
  • Roop-Kahini, Kolkata: Ananda Publishers^[34]
  • Shomoi Boro Kom, Kolkata: Proma Prokashoni^[34]
• Rituraj, Nahin Prabodhachandrodya, Bikaner: Dharati Prakashan; Hindi-language^[35]
• Saroop Dhruv, Mara Hathni Vat, Ahmedabad: Nakshatra Trust, Ahmedabad; Gujarati-language^[36]
• K. Satchidanandan, Socrateesum Kozhiyum, ("Socrates and the Cock"); Malayalam-language^[37]

Other languages

• Christoph Buchwald, general editor, and Gregory Laschen, guest editor, Luchterhand Jahrbuch der Lyrik 1984 ("Luchterhand Poetry Yearbook 1984"), publisher: Luchterhand Literaturverlag; anthology; Germany^[38]
• Matilde Camus, Raíz del recuerdo ("Root of remembrance"), Spain
• Odysseus Elytis, Ημερολόγιο ενός αθέατου Απριλίου ("Diary of an Invisible April"), Greece
• Ndoc Gjetja, Çaste ("Moments"); Albania^[39]
• Rita Kelly, An Bealach Éadóigh, Ireland
• Alexander Mezhirov, Тысяча мелочей ("A thousand small things"), Russia, Soviet Union
• Eugenio Montale, Tutte le poesie, enlarged from the original 1977 edition; publisher: Mondadori; posthumous; Italy^[40]
• Jacques Prévert, La Cinquième Saison, published posthumously (died 1977); France
• Jean Royer, Jours d'atelier, Saint-Lambert: Le Noroît; Canada, in French^[41]
• Håkan Sandell, Efter sjömännen; Elektrisk måne ("After the sailors; Electric Moon"), Sweden

Awards and honors

Nobel Prize in Literature: Jaroslav Seifert, a Czech poet

Australia

• Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry: Les Murray, The People's Other World

Canada

• Gerald Lampert Award: Sandra Birdsell, Night Travellers and Jean McKay, Gone to Grass
• 1984 Governor General's Awards: Paulette Jiles, Celestial Navigation (English); Nicole Brossard, Double Impression (French)
• Pat Lowther Award: Bronwen Wallace, Signs of the Former Tenant
• Prix Émile-Nelligan: Normand de Bellefeuille, Le Livre du devoir

Japan

• Japanese 100 yen note, starting this year and through 2004, features a portrait of Natsume Sōseki 夏目 漱石 (commonly referred to as "Sōseki"), pen name of Natsume Kinnosuke 夏目金之助 (1867–1916), Meiji Era novelist, haiku poet, composer of Chinese-style poetry, writer of fairy tales and a scholar of English literature

United Kingdom

• Cholmondeley Award: Michael Baldwin (poet), Michael Hofmann, Carol Rumens
• Eric Gregory Award: Martyn Crucefix, Mick Imlah, Jamie McKendrick, Bill Smith, Carol Ann Duffy, Christopher Meredith, Peter Armstrong, Iain Bamforth

United States

• Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize: Arthur Smith, Elegy on Independence Day
• Bernard F. Connors Prize for Poetry: Gjertrud Schnackenberg, "Imaginary Prisons", and (separately) Sharon Ben-Tov, "Carillon for Cambridge Women"
• Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress (later the post would be called "Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress"): Robert Fitzgerald appointed this year in a health-limited capacity, but was not present at the Library of Congress.
• Frost Medal: Jack Stadler
• Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: Mary Oliver: American Primitive
• Fellowship of the Academy of American Poets: Richmond Lattimore and Robert Francis

Births

• Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh, Irish-language poet
• Legna Rodríguez Iglesias, Cuban poet

Deaths

 

Headstone of John Betjeman

Birth years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:

• January 18 – Ary dos Santos, 46 (born 1937), Portuguese, of cirrhosis
• February 6 – Jorge Guillén, 91 (born 1893), Spanish
• February 8 – Ishizuka Tomoji 石塚友二 the kanji (Japanese writing) is a pen name of Ishizuka Tomoji, which is written with the different kanji 石塚友次, but in English there is no difference (born 1906), Japanese, Shōwa period haiku poet and novelist
• February 17 – Jesse Stuart, 76 (born 1906), American, from a stroke
• February 26 – Richmond Lattimore, 77 (born 1906), American poet and translator, of cancer
• March 3 – Tatsuko Hoshino 星野立子 (born 1903), Japanese, Shōwa period haiku poet and travel writer; founded Tamamo, a haiku magazine exclusively for women; in the Hototogisu literary circle; haiku selector for Asahi Shimbun newspaper; contributed to haiku columns in various newspapers and magazines (a woman)
• April 15 – Sir William Empson, 77 (born 1906), English critic
• May 19 – Sir John Betjeman, 77 (born 1906), English poet laureate, of Parkinson's disease
• July 2 – George Oppen, 76 (born 1908), American, of Alzheimer's disease
• August 26 – Rukhl Fishman (born 1935), Israeli poet of Yiddish poetry
• September 14 (possible date) – Richard Brautigan 49 (born 1935), American novelist and poet, of a self-inflicted gunshot wound; the exact date of his suicide is speculative as his body is not found until October 25
• September 29 – Hal Porter, 73 (born 1911), Australian writer, novelist, playwright and poet
• December 8 – Edward James, 77 (born 1907), English poet and patron of the arts and of surrealism
• December 14 – Vicente Aleixandre, 86 (born 1898), Spanish
• December 29 – Robert Farren (Roibeárd Ó Faracháin), 75 (born 1909), Irish

See also

•  Poetry portal

• Poetry
• List of years in poetry
• List of poetry awards

Notes

1. Howard, Philip (1984-12-20). "'True poet' Ted Hughes is Laureate". The Times. No. 62017. London. p. 1.
2. "Ghazi al-Gosaibi, Saudi diplomat, poet, dead at 70", August 16, 2010, Agence France Press, retrieved August 20, 2010
3. Roberts, Neil, editor, "The Poetry Kit: Who's Who" Jeff Guess section, retrieved October 21, 2012
4. Roberts, Neil, editor, A Companion to Twentieth-century Poetry, Part III, Chapter 3, "Canadian Poetry", by Cynthia Messenger, Blackwell Publishing, 2003, ISBN 978-1-4051-1361-8, retrieved via Google Books, January 3, 2009
5. Search results: Robert Finch, Open Library, Web, May 9, 2011.
6. James Steele, "Johnston, George Benson," Canadian Encyclopedia (Edmonton: Hurtig, 1988), 1114.
7. "Irving Layton: Publications 2011-07-14 at the Wayback Machine," Canadian Poetry Online, Web, May 7, 2011.
8. "Dorothy Livesay (1909-1996): Works" 2012-09-05 at the Wayback Machine, Canadian Women Poets, Brock University. Web, Mar. 18, 2011.
9. "Bibliography of Works by Sheila Watson 2010-11-06 at the Wayback Machine," English-Canadian Writers, AthabascaU.ca, Web, Apr. 22, 2011.
10. Web page titled "Archive: Michael Ondaatje (1943- )" at the Poetry Foundation website, accessed May 7, 2008
11. Frank M. Tierney, "Sangster, Charles," Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online. Web., Oct. 15 2010.
12. "Notes on Life and Works 2011-08-17 at the Wayback Machine," Selected Poetry of Raymond Souster, Representative Poetry Online, UToronto.ca, Web, May 7, 2011.
13. K. V. Surendran, "13. The Image of Woman in Kamala Das's Poems", p 160, in Indian English Poetry: Critical Perspectives, edited by Jaydipsinh Dodiya, 2000, Delhi: Prabhat Kumar Sharma for Sarup & Sons, ISBN 81-7625-111-9, retrieved via Google Books on July 17, 2010
14. Anup C. Nair and Rajesh I. Patel, "22. Nissim Ezekiel the Poet: A Bird's Eyeview", pp 248, 257-259, in Indian English Poetry: Critical Perspectives, edited by Jaydipsinh Dodiya, 2000, Delhi: Prabhat Kumar Sharma for Sarup & Sons, ISBN 81-7625-111-9, retrieved via Google Books on July 17, 2010
15. Web page titled "Arvind Krishna Mehrotra" 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine, Poetry International website, retrieved July 6, 2010
16. Web page titled "Suniti Namjoshi" 2010-02-02 at the Wayback Machine, Poetry International website, retrieved July 28, 2010
17. Cox, Michael, ed. (2004). The Concise Oxford Chronology of English Literature. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-860634-6.
18. Web page titled "Thomas McCarthy" 2010-05-15 at the Wayback Machine at the Poetry International Website, accessed May 2, 2008
19. Crotty, Patrick, Modern Irish Poetry: An Anthology, Belfast, The Blackstaff Press Ltd., 1995, ISBN 0-85640-561-2
20. Web page about The Faber Book of Contemporary Irish Poetry on the Allen & Unwin website, retrieved October 21, 2012
21. Web page titled "Charles Brasch: New Zealand Literature File" September 28, 2006, at the Wayback Machine at the University of Auckland Library website, accessed April 26, 2008
22. Robinson, Roger and Wattie, Nelson, The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature, 1998, pp. 75-76, "Alan Brunton" article by Peter Simpson
23. Robinson, Roger and Wattie, Nelson, The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature, 1998, "Lauris Edmond" article
24. Cilla McQueen - NZ Literature File - LEARN - The University Of Auckland Library March 6, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
25. David Dabydeen, John Gilmore, Cecily Jones (eds), The Oxford Companion to Black British History, Oxford University Press, 2007, "News for Babylon", p. 343.
26. [1] Web page titled "Books by Fenton" at the James Fenton Web site, accessed October 11, 2007
27. Joshi, Irene, compiler, "Poetry Anthologies" 2009-08-30 at the Wayback Machine, "Poetry Anthologies" section, "University Libraries, University of Washington" website, "Last updated May 8, 1998", retrieved June 16, 2009. 2009-06-19.
28. Web page titled "Bibliography of Klaus Høeck", website of the Danish Arts Agency / Literature Centre, retrieved January 1, 2010
29. Web page titled "Henrik Nordbrandt" at the Literatur.siden website, retrieved January 29, 2010
30. Preminger, Alex and T.V.F. Brogan, et al., editors, The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics, 1993, Princeton University Press and MJF Books, "Polish Poetry" article, "Anthologies" section, pp 959-960
31. Web page titled "Rymkiewicz Jaroslaw Marek" 2011-09-16 at the Wayback Machine, at the Institute Ksiazki website (in Polish), "Bibliography: Poetry" section, retrieved February 24, 2010
32. Web pages titled "Miłosz Czesław" (both English version 2011-09-16 at the Wayback Machine [for translated titles] and Polish version 2011-07-18 at the Wayback Machine [for diacritical marks]), at the Institute Ksiazki ("Book Institute") website, "Bibliography: Poetry" section, retrieved February 26, 2010
33. Das, Sisir Kumar and various, History of Indian Literature: 1911-1956: struggle for freedom: triumph and tragedy, Volume 2, 1995, published by Sahitya Akademi, ISBN 978-81-7201-798-9, retrieved via Google Books on December 23, 2008
34. "Nirendranath Chakravarti" 2012-02-14 at the Wayback Machine, at the Poetry International website, retrieved July 15, 2010
35. Web page titled "Rituraj" 2012-04-06 at the Wayback Machine at the "Poetry International" website, retrieved July 12, 2010
36. Web page titled "Saroop Dhruv" 2012-03-25 at the Wayback Machine at the Poetry International website, retrieved July 27, 2010
37. Web page titled "K. Satchidanandan" 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine, Poetry International website, retrieved July 11, 2010
38. Web page titled "Übersicht erschienener Jahrbücher" 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine at Fischerverlage website, retrieved February 21, 2010
39. "Ndoc Gjetja, hera e fundit në bibliotekën publike", June 8, 2010, Telegrafi of Pristina (Google translation of Web page), retrieved June 10, 2010
40. Eugenio Montale, Collected Poems 1920-1954, translated and edited by Jonathan Galassi, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998, ISBN 0-374-12554-6
41. Web page titled "Jean Royer" 2011-07-06 at the Wayback Machine at L’Académie des lettres du Québec website (in French), retrieved October 20, 2010