1958 in poetry
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature.
Events
- April 18 — Ezra Pound's indictment for treason is dismissed. He is released from St. Elizabeths Hospital, an insane asylum in Maryland, after spending 12 years there and returns to Italy.
- June 29 — A monument to Vladimir Mayakovsky is unveiled in the centre of Moscow and becomes a focus for informal poetry readings.
- Brazilian manifesto for concrete poetry, which focuses on visual and other sensory qualities
- Writers Workshop, a Calcutta, India-based literary publisher, is founded this year by the poet P. Lal with several other writers.
Works published in English
- Donald Hall et al., editors, New Poets of England and America
- David Cecil and Allen Tate, Modern Verse in English
Canada">Canadian literature">Canada
- Earle Birney, Selected Poems
- Louis Dudek:
- * Laughing Stalks
- * En Mexico
- John Glassco, The Deficit Made Flesh
- Ralph Gustafson, The Penguin Book of Canadian Verse
- Irving Layton, A Laughter in the Mind.
- E. J. Pratt, The Collected Poems of E. J. Pratt. Toronto: Macmillan.
- James Reaney, A Suit of Nettles. Governor General's Award 1958.
- F. R. Scott and A.J.M. Smith, The Blasted Pine, a satirical miscellany
- A. J. M. Smith and F. R. Scott, editors, The Oxford Book of Canadian Verse
- Raymond Souster, Crepe-Hanger's Carnival: Selected Poems 1955-58 Toronto: Contact Press.
- Miriam Waddington, The Season's Lovers
Criticism, scholarship and biography in Canada
- L.M. Lande, Old Lamps Aglow
- R.E. Rashley, Poetry in Canada
Ireland">Irish poetry">Ireland
- Thomas Kinsella, Another September, Dublin, Dolmen Press
- Patrick MacDonogh, One Landscape Still
- Donagh MacDonagh and Lennox Robinson editors, The Oxford Book of Irish Verse, XVIIth century-XXth century
India">Indian poetry">India, in English">Indian poetry in English">in English
- Sarojini Naidu, The Sceptred Flute—Songs of India, Allahabad: Kitabistan, published posthumously
- Dilip Kumar Roy, The Immortals of the Bhagvat,
United Kingdom">British poetry">United Kingdom
- A. Alvarez, The End of It
- John Betjeman, Collected Poems, London: John Murray; Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1959
- Michael Hamburger, The Dual Site, London: Routledge and Kegan Paul
- John Heath-Stubbs, Helen in Egypt, and Other Plays
- Elizabeth Jennings, A Sense of the World
- George Rostrevor Hamilton, Collected Poems
- John Heath-Stubbs, The Triumph of the Muse
- Elizabeth Jennings, A Sense of the World, London: André Deutsch
- Thomas Kinsella, Another September Irish poet published in the United Kingdom
- Dom Moraes, A Beginning, his first book of poems, Indian at this time living in the United Kingdom
- James Reeves, The Talking Skull
- Michael Roberts, Collected Poems
- Alan Ross, To Whom It May Concern
- John Silkin, The Two Freedoms
- Sir Osbert Sitwell, On the Continent
- John Smith, Excursus in Autumn, including "Two Men Meet, Each Believing the Other to be of a Higher Rank"
- A.S.J. Tessimond, Selection
- R.S. Thomas, Poetry for Supper
- C.A. Trypanis, a book of poetry
- David Wright, Monologue of a Deaf Man, London: André Deutsch
United States">American poetry">United States
- Conrad Aiken, Sheepfold Hill
- Djuna Barnes, The Antiphon a surrealist verse play
- John Berryman, His Thoughts Made Pockets & the Plane Buckt
- John Ciardi, I marry You; a Sheaf of Love Poems
- Gregory Corso:
- * Gasoline
- * Bomb
- Louis Coxe, The Wilderness and Other Poems
- E.E. Cummings, 95 Poems
- Lawrence Ferlinghetti, A Coney Island of the Mind, New Directions
- George Garrett, The Sleeping Gypsy
- Donald Hall, The Dark Houses
- Anthony Hecht, The Seven Deadly Sins
- John Hollander, A Crackling of Thorns, Yale University Press
- Rolfe Humphries, editor, New Poems by American Poets
- Stanley Kunitz, Selected Poems: 1928-1958
- Denise Levertov, Overland to the Islands, Highlands, North Carolina: Jonathan Williams
- Archibald MacLeish, J.B., a verse play
- William Meredith, The Open Sea and Other Poems
- Howard Nemerov, Mirrors and Windows
- Kenneth Patchen:
- * Poem-scapes
- * Hurrah for Anything
- * When We Were Here Together
- Theodore Roethke, Words for the Wind, Garden City, New York: Doubleday
- Muriel Rukeyser, Body of Waking
- Winfield Townley Scott, The Dark Sister
- Karl Shapiro, Poems of a Jew, New York: Random House
- Eli Siegel, nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.
- Clark Ashton Smith, Spells and Philtres
- William Jay Smith, Poems 1947-1957
- May Swenson, A Cage of Spines
- Charles Tomlinson, Seeing Is Believing, New York: McDowell, Obolensky
- John Updike, The Carpentered Hen and Other Tame Creatures
- Mona Van Duyn, Valentines to the Wide World
- David Wagoner, A Place to Stand
- William Carlos Williams, Paterson, Book V
Other in English
- James K. Baxter, In Fires of No Return, published by Oxford University Press, giving Baxter international recognition, New Zealand
- Peter Bland, Three Poets, New Zealand
Works published in other languages
Spanish language
Chile">Chilean poetry">Chile
- Efraín Barqueto, La Compañera
- Alfonso Calderón, El Pais Jubiloso
- Vincente Huidobro, Ataigle, French translation
- Gabriela Mistral, Poesías completas, Madrid : Aguilar
- Pablo Neruda, Complete Works
Others from Latin America">Latin American literature">Latin America
- José Ramón, Antología poética, Argentina
- Rubén Vela, Veranos, Argentina
Spain">Spanish literature">Spain
- Jorge Guillén:
- * Viviendo
- * Maremágnum
- Miguel de Unamuno, Cincuenta poesías inéditas
Portuguese language
Portugal">Portuguese literature">Portugal
- Herberto Hélder, O Amor em Visita
- Eugénio de Andrade, Coração do dia
- Alexandre O'Neill, No Reino da Dinamarca
- Mário Cesariny, Alguns Mitos Maiores e Alguns Mitos Menores Postos à Circulação pelo Autor
French language
French Canada">Canadian literature">French Canada
- Ollivier Mercier-Gouin, Poèmes et Chansons
- Ronald Després, Silences à nourrir de sang
- Roger Brien, Vols et plongées
- Alain Grandbois, L'Étoile pourpre
- Roland Giguère, Le défaut des ruines est d'avoir des habitants
France">French literature">France
- Yves Bonnefoy, Hier régnant désert
- Pierre Emmanuel, Versant de l'âge
- Vincente Huidobro, Altaigle
- Philippe Jaccottet, L'Ignorant
- Pierre Jean Jouve, Inventions
- Raymond Queneau:
- * Le chien à la mandoline
- * Cent mille milliards de poèmes
- Roger-Arnould Rivière, Déserts
- Georges Schéhadé, Ethiopiques
Hebrew">Hebrew literature">Hebrew
- Sh. Shalom:
- * Ben Tehelet ve-Lavan
- * Shirai Kommiut Israel
- Yehoshua Rabinow, Shirat Amitai
- I. Shalev, Eloha Hanoshek Lohamim
- P. Elad, Mizrah Shemesh
- David Rokeah, Kearar Aleh Shaham
- T. Carmi, ha-Yam ha-Aharon
- Y. Amihai, be-Merhak Shtai Tikvot
- Ephraim Lisitzky, Anshai Midot''
India">Indian poetry">India
- Buddhidhari Singha, Madhumati, Maithili
- Nalini Bala Devi, Yuga-devata, Indian, Assamese-language
- Gopal Prasad Rimal, Yo Prem! , Nepali
- K. S. Narasimha Swami, Silalate, Kannada
Other
- Dritëro Agolli, Në rrugë dolla
- Ko Un, Hyondae Munhak
- Meyer Shtiker, Yidishe landshaft, his second book of poems
- Luo Fu, River of the Soul Chinese
Awards and honors
United Kingdom">English poetry">United Kingdom
- Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry: Francis Cornford
- Foyle Prize for Poetry: Dame Edith Sitwell, Collected Poems
- Guinness Poetry Awards:
- * Ted Hughes, The Thought Fox
- * Thomas Kinsella, Thinking of Mr. D
- * David Wright, A Thanksgiving
United States">American poetry">United States
- Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress : Robert Frost appointed this year.
- National Book Award for Poetry: Robert Penn Warren, Promises: Poems, 1954-1956
- Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: Stanley Kunitz, Selected Poems 1928-1958
- Bollingen Prize: E.E. Cummings
- Fellowship of the Academy of American Poets: Robinson Jeffers
- Harper's Eugene F. Saxton Fellowship; Conrad Hilberry
- Huntington Hartford Foundation Award: Robert Frost
- Jewish Book Council's Harry Kovner Memorial poetry awards: I.J. Schwartz for contributions to Yiddish poetry; Aaron Zeitlin for Bein Ha-Esh Yeha-Yesha
- Yale Series of Younger Poets award: William Dickey for Of the Festivity
American Academy of Arts and Letters
- American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal in Poetry: Conrad Aiken
- Marjorie Peabody Waite Award: Dorothy Parker
Poetry Magazine
- Levinson prize: Stanley Kunitz
- Oscar Blumenthal prize: Siydney Goodsir Smith
- Eunice Tiejens prize: Mona Van Duyn
- Bess Hokin prize: Charles Tomlinson
- Union League Civic and Arts Foundation prize: Jean Garrigue
- Vachel Lindsay prize : Hayden Carruth
- Harriet Monroe Poetry Prize: Stanley Kunitz
Poetry Society of America
- Shelley Memorial Award: Kenneth Rexroth
- Alexander Droutzkoy Memorial gold medal: Robert Frost
- Walt Whitman Award: James E. Miller, Jr.
- Reynolds Lyric Award: John Fandel
- William Rose Benet Memorial Award: Robert A. Wallace
- Edna St. Vincent Millay Award: Robert Penn Warren
- Poetry Chap-Book Award: Arthur Waley
- Emily S. Hamblen Memorial award: Sir Geoffrey Keynes for The Complete Writings of William Blake
- Arthur Davison Ficke Memorial award: Ulrich Trobetzkoy
- Laura Speyer Memorial award: Mary A. Winter
- Borestone Mountain Poetry Award: John Hall Wheelock, Poems Old and New
France">French poetry">France
- Grand Prix Littéraire de la Ville de Paris: Maurice Fonbeure for poetry
- Grand Prix de Poésie de l'Académie française: Mme. Gérard d'Houville
Other
- Mondadori, Viareggio poetry prize : S. Quasimodo, La terra impareggiabile
- Canada: Governor General's Award, poetry or drama: A Suit of Nettles, James Reaney
Births
- January 5 - Harold Rhenisch, Canadian poet
- April 15:
- * Anne Michaels, Canadian poet and novelist
- * Benjamin Zephaniah, British dub poet
- November 27 - Andrew Waterhouse, English poet and environmentalist
- Also:
- * Jill Battson, Canadian poet
- * Lionel Fogarty, Australian poet and political activist
- * Subodh Sarkar, Bengali poet, writer, editor and academic in India
- * Margaret Smith, American poet, musician and artist
Deaths
- January 3 - Gerald William Bullett, 64, English author and critic
- March 13 - Vallathol Narayana Menon, Indian, Malayalam language poet
- March 24 - Seamus O'Sullivan, Irish
- May 5 - James Branch Cabell, 79, whose 52 books included poetry, of a cerebral hemorrhage
- June 10 - Angelina Weld Grimke, African American lesbian journalist and poet
- June 28 - Alfred Noyes, English poet
- September 11 - Robert W. Service, 84, Scots-Canadian poet who wrote The Cremation of Sam McGee
- October 29 - Zoë Akins, 72, American poet and dramatist who won the 1935 Pulitzer Prize for her drama version of Edith Wharton's The Old Maid
- November 12 - Masamune Atsuo 正宗敦夫, Japanese poet and academic
- December 20 - Sir John Collings Squire, British poet, writer, historian and influential literary editor
- Also:
- * Emil Barth , German
- * Francis Carco, French poet and novelist
- * Yves Gérard le Dantec, French