1979 in poetry
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature.
Events
The Kenyon Review is restarted by Kenyon College in the United States 10 years after the original publication was closed.Jahrbuch der Lyrik, an annual poetry anthology, is launched in Germany, nine years before the similar series American Poetry is begun. Each year's edition, containing 100 poems, is published in the spring by Beck, and is edited by Christoph Buchwald along with a guest editor.Poetry Canada Review founded by Clifton Whiten in order to publish and review poetry from across Canada; the publication folds in 1994.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">Australian literature">Australia
- Robert Adamson Where I Come From
- Robert Gray, Grass script
- Jennifer Maiden, The Border Loss, Angus & Robertson
- Les Murray, The Boys Who Stole the Funeral, Angus & Robertson, 1979, 1980 and Manchester, Carcanet, 1989
- John Tranter:
- * Dazed in the Ladies Lounge, Island Press (Australia)
- * Editor, The New Australian Poetry
- Chris Wallace-Crabbe:
- * The Emotions Are Not Skilled Workers, Sydney: Angus & Robertson
- * Toil and Spin: Two Directions in Modern Poetry, Melbourne: Hutchinson
Canada">Canadian poetry">Canada
- Dionne Brand, Earth Magic
- Paul Dutton, Right Hemisphere, Left Ear
- Michael Ondaatje, There's a Trick with a Knife I'm Learning to Do
- Candice James, A Split in the Water. Fredericton: Fiddlehead Poetry Books.
- Irving Layton, Droppings from Heaven. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart.
- Irving Layton, The Tamed Puma. Toronto: Virgo Press.
- Irving Layton, There Were No Signs. Toronto: Madison Gallery.
- Dennis Lee.The Gods. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart.
- Steven McCaffery and B.P. Nichol, In England Now That Spring
- Susan Musgrave, A Man to Bury, A Man to Marry
- Michael Ondaatje :
- * There's a Trick with a Knife I'm Learning to Do: Poems, 1963-1978, New York: W. W. Norton, 1979,
- * Claude Glass, Toronto: Coach House Press
- Charles Sangster, Hesperus and other poems and lyrics, edited by Frank M. Tierney
- Raymond Souster, Hanging In: New Poems. Ottawa: Oberon Press.
- James Wreford Watson, Countryside Canada.
Anthologies in Canada
- Michael Ondaatje:
- * Editor, A Book of Beasts, animal verse; Ottawa: Oberon; revision of The Broken Ark, 1971
- * Editor, The Long Poem Anthology, Toronto: Coach House
India">Indian poetry">India, in English">Indian poetry in English">in English
- K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar, Leaves from a Log: Fragments of a Journey, New Delhi: Arnold Heinemann
- Kamala Das, Old Playhouse and Other Poems, Madras: Orient Longman
- Eunice de Souza, Fix, Bombay: Newground, India.
- Jayanta Mahapatra, Waiting, New Delhi: Samkaleen Prakashan
- Prabhu Siddartha Guptara, Continuations, Calcutta: Writers Workshop
- Om Prakash Bhatnagar, ''Feeling Fossils''
Ireland">Irish poetry">Ireland
- Harry Clifton, Office of the Salt Merchant, Oldcastle: The Gallery Press, Ireland
- Seamus Heaney, Northern Ireland poet published in the United Kingdom:
- * Field Work, Faber & Faber
- * Hedge School, Janus Press
- * Ugolino, Carpenter Press
- * Gravities, Charlotte Press
- * A Family Album, Byron Press
- Thomas Kinsella, One and Other Poems, including "Anniversaries"
- Michael Longley, The Echo Gate. Northern Ireland poet published in the United Kingdom
- Derek Mahon, Poems 1962-1978, including "A Dying Art", "Ecclesiastes", "An Image from Beckett", "Lives", "The Snow Party", "A Refusal to Mourn" and "A Disused Shed in Co. Wexford", Oxford University Press, Northern Ireland poet published in the United Kingdom
New Zealand">New Zealand poetry">New Zealand
- Fleur Adcock :
- * The Inner Harbour, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press
- * Below Loughrigg, Newcastle upon Tyne: Bloodaxe Books
- Allen Curnow, An Incorrigible Music
- Bill Manhire, Dawn/Water
- Bob Orr, ''Poems for Moira''
Anthologies
- John Jessop, editor, International Anthology of Concrete Poetry, vol. i
- George Swede, editor, ''The Canadian Haiku Anthology''
South Africa">South African poetry">South Africa
- Mazisi Kunene, ''Emperor Shaka the Great: a Zulu Epic''
United Kingdom">English poetry">United Kingdom
- Fleur Adcock :
- * The Inner Harbour, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press
- * Below Loughrigg, Newcastle upon Tyne: Bloodaxe Books
- Kingsley Amis, Collected Poems 1944-1979
- James Berry, Fractured Circles
- Anne Born, Changing Views
- Robert Conquest, Forays
- Patric Dickinson, Our Living John, and Other Poems
- Maureen Duffy, Memorials of the Quick and the Dead
- Douglas Dunn, Barbarians
- Ketaki Kushari Dyson, Hibiscus in the North
- D. J. Enright, A Faust Book
- John Fuller, Lies and Secrets
- W. S. Graham, Collected Poems 1942-1977
- Thom Gunn, Selected Poems 1950-1975
- Seamus Heaney, Northern Ireland poet published in the United Kingdom:
- * Field Work, Faber & Faber
- * Hedge School, Janus Press
- * Ugolino, Carpenter Press
- * Gravities, Charlotte Press
- * A Family Album, Byron Press
- Ted Hughes:
- * Moortown
- * Remains of Elmet
- Elizabeth Jennings, Moments of Grace
- P. J. Kavanagh, Life Before Death
- Omar Khayyám, The Rubaiyat, translated by John Heath-Stubbs and Peter Avery
- Michael Longley, The Echo Gate
- Roger McGough, Holiday on Death Row
- Derek Mahon, Poems 1962-1978. Oxford University Press
- Pete Morgan, The Spring Collection
- Brian Patten, Grave Gossip
- Craig Raine, A Martian Sends a Postcard Home
- Peter Reading, ''Fiction''
United States">American poetry">United States
- John Ashbery, As We Know
- Ted Berrigan and Harris Schiff, Yo-Yo's With Money
- Joseph Payne Brennan, Webs of Time
- Maxine Chernoff, Utopia TV Store
- Robert Creeley, Was That a Real Poem and Other Essays, edited by Donald Allen, criticism
- Federico García Lorca, translated by Paul Blackburn, Lorca/Blackburn: Poems of Federico García Lorca Chosen by Paul Blackburn
- John Hollander, Blue Wine
- Paul Hoover, Letter to Einstein Beginning Dear Albert
- Stanley Kunitz, The Poems of Stanley Kunitz
- Denise Levertov, Collected Earlier Poems
- Gary Miranda, Listeners at the Breathing Place
- F. A. Nettelbeck, Bug Death
- Mary Oliver, Sleeping in the Forest
- George Quasha, Giving the Lily Back Her Hands
- Frank Stanford, You, posthumous chapbook
- Robert Penn Warren, ''Brother to Dragons''
Works published in other languages
Listed by language and often by nation where the work was first published and again by the poet's native land, if different; substantially revised works listed separately:Denmark">Danish literature">Denmark
- Inger Christensen, Brev i April
- Klaus Høeck, Denmark:
- * Dylan Forever, publisher: Swing
- * Winterreise, publisher: Gyldendal
- Henrik Nordbrandt, ''Spøgelseslege''
French">French poetry">French
Canada">Canadian poetry">Canada, in French
- Jean Royer, Les heures nues, Montréal: Nouvelles Éditions de l'Arc
- Marie Uguay ''Signe et rumeur''
France
- Noureddine Aba, Gazelle après minuit, Algerian writer
- Alain Bosquet, Poémes, un, his collected works up to 1967
- André du Bouchet, Laisses
- Pierre Emmanuel, Una, ou la mort, la vie
- Claude Esteban, Terres, travaux du cœur, Flammarion
- Guillevic, Etier
- André Pieyre de Mandiargues, L'ivre Oeil
- Patrick Reumaux, ''Repérages du vif''
India">Indian poetry">India
Listed in alphabetical order by first name:- Ajmer Rode, Surti, London, Ontario: Third Eye Publications, Chandigarh: Raghbir Rachna Parkashan; Punjabi-language
- Geeta Parikh, Bhinash; Gujarati-language
- K. Satchidanandan, Ezhuthachan Ezhutumbol, ; Malayalam-language
- Kunwar Narain, Apne Samne, New Delhi: Rajkamal Prakashan; Hindi-language
- Malika Amar Sheikh, Valuchya Priyakar, Mumbai: Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Prabodhini; Marathi-language
- Rajendra Bhandari, Hiundey yee chisa raatka pardeharuma, Gangtok, Sikkim: Padmakala Prakashan; Nepali-language
Poland">Polish poetry">Poland
- Stanisław Barańczak, Etyka i poetyka, criticism; Paris: Instytut Literacki
- Ewa Lipska:
- * Dom spokojnej młodości, selected poems, Kraków: Wydawnictwo literackie
- * Zywa smierc, ; Kraków: Wydawnictwo literackie
Spanish">Spanish poetry">Spanish
Spain
- Matilde Camus, ''Corcel en el tiempo''
Latin America">Latin American poetry">Latin America
- Alaíde Foppa, Las palabras y el tiempo, Guatemalan poet published in Mexico
Other
- Christoph Buchwald, general editor, and Harald Hartung, guest editor, Jahrbuch der Lyrik 1: Am Rand der Zeit, publisher: Claassen; anthology; Germany
- Haim Gouri, Ayuma, Israeli writing in Hebrew
- Nizar Qabbani, I Testify That There Is No Woman But You, Syrian poet writing in Arabic
Awards and honors
Canada">Canadian poetry">Canada
- See 1979 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
- Prix Émile-Nelligan: François Charron, ''Blessures''
United Kingdom">English poetry">United Kingdom
- Cholmondeley Award: Alan Brownjohn, Andrew Motion, Charles Tomlinson
- Eric Gregory Award: Stuart Henson, Michael Jenkins, Alan Hollinghurst, Sean O'Brien, Peter Thabit Jones, James Lindesay, Walter Perrie, Brian Moses
United States">American poetry">United States
- AML Award for Poetry to Marden J. Clark for "Moods: Of Late" and Edward L. Hart for "To Utah"
- Bollingen Prize: W.S. Merwin
- American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal in Poetry, Archibald MacLeish
- Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: Robert Penn Warren: Now and Then
- Walt Whitman Award: David Bottoms, Shooting Rats at the Bibb County Dump
- Fellowship of the Academy of American Poets: May Swenson and Mark Strand
Births
- February 4 - Ben Lerner, American poet, novelist and critic
- October 16 - Jonathan Edwards, Welsh, English-language poet
- Aifric Mac Aodha, Irish-language poet and editor
- Qabaniso Malewezi, Malawian musician and English-language poet
Deaths
Birth years link to the corresponding " in poetry" article:- February 8 - Alexandru A. Philippide, Romanian
- February 9 - Allen Tate, American poet, of emphysema
- June 15 - Ernst Meister, German
- July 15 - Juana de Ibarbourou, Uruguayan
- September 5 - John Bradburne, English poet and missionary, killed by guerillas
- September 7 - I. A. Richards, influential English literary critic and rhetorician
- October 6 - Elizabeth Bishop, American poet, from an aneurism
- December 7 - Nicolas Born, German poet, from cancer