1983 in poetry

Events

• April - Russian samizdat poet Irina Ratushinskaya is sentenced to imprisonment in a labor camp for dissident activity; she continues to write poetry clandestinely in prison.
• June 2 - Francophone Senegalese poet and politician Léopold Sédar Senghor becomes the first black African writer elected as a member of the Académie française
• The Frogmore Press is founded by Andre Evans and Jeremy Page at the Frogmore tea-rooms in Folkestone, England. The press publishes a magazine, The Frogmire Papers

  Works published in English

Australia">Australian literature">Australia

• David Brooks, The Cold Front. Sydney: Hale & Iremonger
• Les Murray, The People's Otherworld, winner of the 1984 Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry
• Philip Salom: The Projectionist, A Sequence.
• John Tranter, Selected Poems, Hale & Iremonger

  Canada">Canadian literature">Canada

• Dionne Brand, Winter Epigrams and Epigrams to Ernesto Cardenal in Defense of Claudia
• George Elliott Clarke, Saltwater Spirituals and Deeper Blues, Lawrencetown Beach, Nova Scotia: Pottersfield,
• Robert Finch, The Grand Duke of Moscow's Favourite Solo.
• Irving Layton, The Gucci Bag. Oakville, Ontario: Mosaic Press. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart.
• Dorothy Livesay, The Phases of Love. Toronto: Coach House.
• Don McKay, Birding, or Desire
• George McWhirter, Fire Before Dark
• Roy Miki, The Prepoetics of William Carlos Williams
• Joe Rosenblatt, The Sleeping Lady. Exile Editions.
• Raymond Souster, Going the Distance. Ottawa: Oberon Press.
• George Woodcock, Collected Poems, Victoria: Sono Nis Press, Canada

  India">Indian poetry">India, in English">Indian poetry in English">in English

• Jayanta Mahapatra, Life Signs, New Delhi: Oxford University Press
• Dom Moraes, Absences,
• Sudeep Sen, Leaning Against the Lamp-Post,

  Ireland">Irish poetry">Ireland

• Sebastian Barry, The Water-Colourist, Ireland
• Padraic Fallon, Poems and Versions
• Seamus Heaney, Northern Ireland native living at this time in the United States:
• * An Open Letter, Field Day
• * Translator, Sweeney Astray: A version from the Irish, Field Day
• Paul Muldoon, Quoof, Northern Ireland native published in the United Kingdom
• Tom Paulin, Liberty Tree, including "Desertmartin", "Off the Back of a Lorry" and "A Written Answer", Faber and Faber, Irish poet published in the United Kingdom

  New Zealand">New Zealand literature">New Zealand

• Fleur Adcock:
• * The Virgin and the Nightingale: Medieval Latin poems, Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Bloodaxe Books
• * Selected Poems, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press
• Leigh Robert Davis, Willy's Gazette, Wellington: Jack Books
• Lauris Edmond, Catching It: Poems
• M. P. Jackson and V. O'Sullivan, editors, Oxford Anthology of New Zealand Writing Since 1945, anthology 1983
• Bill Manhire, Locating the Beloved and Other Stories, New Zealand
• W. H. Oliver, James K. Baxter: A Portrait, Wellington: Port Nicholson Press, 1983; reprinted 1994, Godwit Press/Bridget Williams Books, biography
• Bob Orr, Cargo

  United Kingdom">English poetry">United Kingdom

• Fleur Adcock :
• * The Virgin and the Nightingale: Medieval Latin poems, Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Bloodaxe Books
• * Selected Poems, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press
• George Barker, Anno Domino
• George Mackay Brown, Voyages
• Alan Brownjohn, Collected Poems 1952-1983
• John Cooper Clarke, Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt
• Helen Dunmore, The Apple Fall
• Gavin Ewart, Capital Letters
• Padraic Fallon, Poems and Versions, Irish poet published in the United Kingdom
• James Fenton, Memory of War and Children in Exile
• Roy Fuller, As From the Thirties
• Seamus Heaney, Northern Ireland native living at this time in the United States:
• * An Open Letter, Field Day
• * Translator: Sweeney Astray: A version from the Irish, Field Day
• Adrian Henri, Penny Arcade
• Geoffrey Hill, The Mystery of the Charity of Charles Peguy
• Frances Horovitz, Snow Light, Water Light
• Ted Hughes, River
• Jenny Joseph, Beyond Descartes
• Peter Levi, The Echoing Green
• Christopher Middleton, 111 Poems, Carcanet Press,
• Pete Morgan, A Winter Visitor
• Andrew Motion, Secret Narratives
• Paul Muldoon, Quoof, Northern Ireland native published in the United Kingdom
• Grace Nichols, I is a Long-Memoried Woman, Caribbean Cultural International
• Sean O'Brien, The Indoor Park
• Tom Paulin, Liberty Tree, including "Desertmartin", "Off the Back of a Lorry" and "A Written Answer", Faber and Faber, Irish poet published in the United Kingdom
• J. H. Prynne, The Oval Window
• Carol Rumens, Star Whisper
• Peter Scupham, Winter Quarters

  United States">American poetry">United States

• A.R. Ammons, Lake Effect Country
• Maya Angelou, Shaker, Why Don't You Sing?
• Elizabeth Bishop, Collected Poems 1927-1979, posthumous
• Amy Clampitt, Kingfisher
• James Dickey, The Central Motion
• Hilda Doolittle, Collected Poems, 1912–1944, posthumous
• Alice Fulton, Dance Script with Electric Ballerina
• Nikki Giovanni, Those Who Ride the Nightwinds
• Frank Graziano, editor, Georg Trakl: A Profile, Logbridge-Rhodes, criticism
• Seamus Heaney, Northern Ireland native living at this time in the United States:
• * An Open Letter, Field Day
• * Translator: Sweeney Astray: A version from the Irish, Field Day
• Joy Harjo, She Had Some Horses
• John Hollander, Powers of Thirteen
• Paul Hoover, Somebody Talks a Lot
• Richard Howard, Lining Up
• W. S. Merwin, Opening the Hand, New York: Atheneum
• Gary Miranda, Grace Period
• Mary Oliver, American Primitive
• Carl Rakosi, Spiritus I
• James Reiss, Express
• Adrienne Rich, Sources
• William Saroyan, My Name Is Saroyan, a miscellany of fiction, nonfiction, drama and verse; published posthumously
• James Schevill, The American Fantasies: Collected Poems, 1945-1981
• Peter Seaton, Crisis Intervention
• Ntozake Shange, A Daughter's Geography
• Louis Simpson, The Best Hour of the Night
• Gary Snyder, Axe Handles
• Eleanor Ross Taylor, New and Selected Poems
• David Wagoner, First Light
• Robert Penn Warren, Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce

  Other in English

• M. Nourbese Philip, Salmon Courage, Caribbean

  Works published in other languages

French language

• Claude Esteban, Conjoncture du corps et du jardin suivi de Cosmogonie, Flammarion; France
• Abdellatif Laabi, translator, Rien qu'une autre année translated from the original Arabic of Mahmoud Darwich into French; Paris: Unesco/Éditions de Minuit
• Pierre Nepveu, Mahler et autres matières'', Montréal: Le Noroît; Canada

  Germany">German literature">Germany

• H. Bender, Deutsche Gedichte 1930-1960, anthology
• Hiltrud Gnüg, Entstehung und Krise lyrischer subjektivität. Vom Klassischen Lyrischen Ich zur Modernen Erfahrungswirklichkeit, Stuttgart
• Walter Hinderer, editor, Geschichte der deutschen Lyrik vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart, Stuttgart, called "indispensable" by the Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics
• Klaus Weissenberger, editor, Die deutsche Lyrik, 1945-1975

  India">Indian poetry">India

Hindi">Hindi poetry">Hindi

• Kedarnath Singh, Yahan Se Dekho, Delhi: Radhakrishan Prakashan; Hindi
• Rituraj, Abacus, Hapur: Sambhavana Prakashan
• Teji Grover, Yahan Kucch Andheri Aur Tikhi Hai Nadi, New Delhi: Bharati Bhasha Prakashan

  Other languages in India

• Ajmer Rode, Chubhchintan, Amritsar: Nanak Singh Pustakmala; Punjabi-language
• Dilip Chitre, Daha by Daha, Mumbai: Pras Prakashan, Mumbai; Marathi-language
• K. Satchidanandan; Malayalam-language:
• * Randu Deergha Kavyangal,
• * Satchidandandante Kavithakal 1962-82,
• K. Siva Reddy, Bharamiti, Hyderabad: Jhari Poetry Circle; Telugu-language
• Mallika Sengupta, Challish Chander Ayu, Virus publication; Bengali-language
• Manushya Puthiran, Manushya Puthiranin Kavithaigal, Chennai: Manimegalai Prasuram, Tamil language
• Namdeo Dhasal, Khel Marathi-language
• Nirendranath Chakravarti, Ghor-duwar, Kolkata: Ananda Publishers; Bengali-language
• Prathibha Nandakumar, Navu Hudugiyare Heege, Bangalore: Kannada Sangha, Christ College; Kannada-language

  Poland">Polish poetry">Poland

• Zbigniew Herbert, Raport z oblężonego Miasta i inne wiersze, Paris: Instytut Literacki
• Ryszard Krynicki, Ocalenie z nicości ; Krakow: Swit
• Jarosław Marek Rymkiewicz, Ulica Mandelsztama
• Piotr Sommer, Kolejny świat
• Jan Twardowski, Który stwarzasz jagody, Krakow: Wydawnictwo Literackie
• Wiktor Woroszylski, Lustro. Dziennik internowania

  Spain">Spanish poetry">Spain

• Matilde Camus:
• * Tierra de palabras
• * Coral montesino

  Other languages

• Mia Couto, Raiz de Orvalho, Mozambican Portuguese
• Luo Fu, Wine-Brewing Stone, Chinese
• Klaus Høeck, Denmark:
• *Eno High, with Asger Schnack, publisher: Schønberg
• * Metamorphoses, publisher: Gyldendal
• Marlene van Niekerk, Groenstaar, South Africa

  Awards and honors

Australia">Australian poetry">Australia

• Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry: Vivian Smith, Tide Country

  Canada">Canadian poetry">Canada

• Gerald Lampert Award: Diana Hartog, Matinee Light
• 1983 Governor General's Awards: David Donnell, Settlements ; Suzanne Paradis, Un goût de sel
• Pat Lowther Award: Rhea Tregebov, Remembering History
• Prix Émile-Nelligan: Lucien Francœur, Les Rockeurs sanctifiés

  United Kingdom">English poetry">United Kingdom

• Cholmondeley Award: John Fuller, Craig Raine, Anthony Thwaite
• Eric Gregory Award: Martin Stokes, Hilary Davies, Michael O'Neill, Lisa St Aubin de Terán, Deidre Shanahan
• Commonwealth Poetry Prize: Grace Nichols, i is a long memoried woman

  United States">American poetry">United States

• Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize: Kate Daniels, The White Wave
• AML Award for poetry to Clinton F. Larson for "A Romaunt of the Rose: A Tapestry of Poems"
• Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: Galway Kinnell - Selected Poems
• Fellowship of the Academy of American Poets: James Schuyler and Philip Booth

  Births

• July 2 - Tao Lin 林韬, Chinese novelist and poet
• Sarah Howe, Hong Kong-born English poet

  Deaths

• February 18 - Robert Payne, 71, English professor of English literature in the U.S., lecturer in naval architecture, novelist, historian, poet and biographer
• May 4 - Shūji Terayama 寺山 修司, Japanese avant-garde poet, playwright, writer, film director and photographer
• May 21 - Amal Abul-Qassem Donqol, Egyptian poet
• June 17 - Miron Białoszewski, Polish poet and playwright
• June 19 - Vilmundur Gylfason, Icelandic politician, historian and poet, by suicide
• June 27 - Alden Nowlan, 50, Canadian poet and novelist
• July 4 - Ted Berrigan, 48, American poet
• July 12 - Edwin Denby, 80, American dance critic and poet, by suicide
• August 12 - Mikey Smith, Jamaican dub poet, stoned to death
• October 2 - Frances Horovitz, 45, English poet, broadcaster and performer of poetry