1991 in poetry
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature.
Events
- Forward Poetry Prize created
- Dana Gioia, writing in The Atlantic Monthly suggests that poets recite the works of other poets at public readings.
- Joseph Brodsky, the United States poet laureate, suggests in The New Republic that an anthology of American poetry be put beside the Bible and telephone directory in every hotel room in the country.
Works published in English
Australia">Australian literature">Australia
- Les Murray, The Rabbiter's Bounty
Anthologies in Australia
- Philip Mead and John Tranter, The Penguin Book of Modern Australian Poetry a major anthology of Twentieth century poetry from that nation
- Les Murray, editor, The New Oxford Book of Australian Verse, Melbourne, Oxford University Press, 1986 and Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1991, 1999
Canada">Canadian poetry">Canada
- Margaret Avison, Selected Poems Canada
- Earle Birney, Last Makings: Poems. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
- Don Domanski, Wolf-Ladder
- Jeffery Donaldson, Once out of Nature, McClelland & Stewart.
- Louis Dudek, Europe. Erin, ON: Porcupine's Quill, 1991.
- Louis Dudek, Small Perfect Things. Montreal: DC Books.
- Robert Finch, Miracle at the Jetty. Port Rowan, ON: Leeboard Press.
- Dorothy Livesay, The Woman I Am. Montreal: Guernica.
- Laura Lush, Hometown, Montreal: Vehicle Press.
- Anne Marriott, Aqua, Toronto: Wolsak & Wynn.
- Don McKay, Night Field
- Roy Miki, In Saving Face: Poems Selected, 1976-1988, Canada
- P. K. Page, The Glass Air: Selected Poems
- John Pass, The Hour's Acropolis, shortlisted for the 1993 Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize,
- Raymond Souster, 'Running Out the Clock. Ottawa: Oberon Press.
- George Woodcock, Tolstoy at Yasnaya Polyana & other Poems'', Kingston: Quarry Press, Canada
India">Indian poetry">India, in English">Indian poetry in English">in English
- Gieve Patel, Mirrored, Mirroring, Oxford University Press, New Delhi
- Sujata Bhatt, Monkey Shadows, received a Poetry Book Society Recommendation; Carcanet Press
- Ranjit Hoskote, Zones of Assault, New Delhi: Rupa & Co.,
- Sudeep Sen:
- * Kali in Ottava Rima, Paramount, London, 1992; Rupa, New Delhi, 1991,
- * New York Times, New Delhi: Rupa,
- Dilip Chitre, Travelling in a Cage
Ireland">Irish poetry">Ireland
- Brian Coffey, Poems and Versions 1929-1990, including "Death of Hektor" and "For What for Whom Unwanted"
- Gerald Dawe, Sunday School, Oldcastle: The Gallery Press,
- Paul Durcan, Crazy About Women, including "The Levite and His Concubine at Gibeah"
- Eamon Grennan, As If It Matters, including "Breaking Points", Oldcastle: The Gallery Press
- John Hewitt, Collected Poems, Belfast: The Blackstaff Press
- Michael Longley:
- * Gorse Fires, including "Between Hovers", "Laertes", "Argos" and "The Butchers"
- * Poems 1963-1983, including "In memoriam", "Caravan", "Wounds", "Ghost Town", "Man Lying on a Wall", "Wreaths", "Mayo Monologues" and "The Linen Industry"
- Thomas McGreevy, Collected Poems, including "Homage to Hieronymous Bosch" and "Recessional"
- Medbh McGuckian, Marconi's Cottage, Oldcastle: The Gallery Press
- Paula Meehan, The Man Who Was Marked by Winter, "The Pattern" and "Child Burial", Oldcastle: The Gallery Press
- Bernard O'Donoghue, The Weakness, including "A Nun Takes the Veil" and "The Weakness", Chatto and Windus
- Peter Sirr, Ways of Falling, including "A Few Helpful Hints", Oldcastle: The Gallery Press
New Zealand">New Zealand literature">New Zealand
- Fleur Adcock :
- *Time-zones, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press
- *Selected Poems, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press
- Jenny Bornholdt, Waiting Shelter, New Zealand
- Alan Brunton, Slow Passes 1978–1988
- Lauris Edmond, New and Selected Poems, Auckland: Oxford University Press
- Michele Leggott, Swimmers, Dancers, Auckland : Auckland University Press
- Bill Manhire, Milky Way Bar, New Zealand
- Bob Orr, Breeze
United Kingdom
- Dannie Abse, There Was a Young Man From Cardiff, autobiography
- Fleur Adcock :
- *Time-zones, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press
- *Selected Poems, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press
- W. H. Auden, Collected Poems
- George Mackay Brown, Selected Poems 1954-1983
- Wendy Cope, Serious Concerns
- Paul Durcan, Crazy About Women
- Gavin Ewart, Collected Poems 1980-1991
- John Fuller, The Mechanical Body
- Lavinia Greenlaw, The Cost of Getting Lost in Space
- Philip Gross, The Son of the Duke of Nowhere
- Michael Hamburger, Roots in the Air
- Tony Harrison, A Cold Coming
- Seamus Heaney:
- * Seeing Things, Faber & Faber
- * Squarings, Hieroglyph Editions
- Paul Henry, Time Pieces, Seren
- Linton Kwesi Johnson, Tings an' Times
- P. J. Kavanagh, An Enchantment
- Jackie Kay, The Adoption Papers
- Thomas Kinsella, Madonna, and Other Poems
- Kenneth Koch, Selected Poems, Manchester: Carcanet, American poet's book published in the United Kingdom
- Liz Lochhead, Bagpipe Muzak
- Michael Longley, Gorse Fires
- George MacBeth, Trespassing
- Medbh McGukian, Marconi's Cottage
- Jamie McKendrick, The Sirocco Room
- Derek Mahon, Selected Poems. Viking
- Edwin Morgan, Hold Hands Among the Atoms
- Andrew Motion, Love in a Life
- Sean O'Brien, HMS Glasshouse, Oxford University Press
- Christopher Reid, In the Echoey Tunnel
- C. H. Sisson, Antidotes
- Gerard Woodward, Householder
United States">American poetry">United States
- Arnold Adoff - In for Winter, Out for Spring
- John Ashbery, Flow Chart
- Gwendolyn Brooks, Children Coming Home
- Robert Creeley, Selected Poems 1945-90
- Billy Collins, Questions About Angels, the winner of the National Poetry Series competition in 1993
- Paul Hoover, The Novel: A Poem
- Howard Nemerov, Trying Conclusions: New and Selected Poems, 1961-1991
- Grace Paley, Long Walks and Intimate Talks
- Kenneth Rexroth, Flower Wreath Hill: Later Poems
- Eleanor Ross Taylor, Days Going/Days Coming Back
Poets represented in ''The Best American Poetry 1991'' anthology
- Johnathon Aaron
- Ai
- Dick Allen
- Julia Alvarez
- John Ash
- John Ashbery
- George Bradley
- Joseph Brodsky
- Gerald Burns
- Amy Clampitt
- Marc Cohen
- Alfred Corn
- Stephen Dobyns
- Stephen Dunn
- Carolyn Forche
- Alice Fulton
- Louise Glück
- Jorie Graham
- Melissa Green
- Debora Greger
- Linda Gregerson
- Allen Grossman
- Thom Gunn
- Donald Hall
- Brooks Haxton
- Daniel Hoffman
- John Hollander
- Paul Hoover
- Ron Horning
- Richard Howard
- Josephine Jacobsen
- Donald Justice
- Vickie Karp
- Robert Kelly
- Jane Kenyon
- Karl Kirchwey
- Carolyn Kizer
- Kenneth Koch
- John Koethe
- Mark Levine
- Laurence Lieberman
- Elizabeth Macklin
- J. D. McClatchy
- James McManus
- James Merrill
- Susan Mitchell
- Gary Mitchner
- A. F. Moritz
- Thylias Moss
- Joyce Carol Oates
- Bob Perelman
- Robert Polito
- Katha Pollitt
- Susan Prospere
- Jack Roberts
- Sherod Santos
- Lloyd Schwartz
- Robyn Selman
- David Shapiro
- Laurie Sheck
- Charles Simic
- David R. Slavitt
- Charlie Smith
- Elizabeth Spires
- David St. John
- Ruth Stone
- Patricia Storace
- James Tate
- Molly Tenenbaum
- David Trinidad
- Chase Twichell
- Derek Walcott
- Rosanna Warren
- Susan Wheeler
- Charles Wright
Criticism, scholarship and biography in the United States
- William Meredith, Poems Are Hard to Read, criticism
- Jacqueline Vaught Brogan, Part of the Climate: American Cubist Poetry, University of California Press, scholarship
- M.L. Rosenthal, Our Life in Poetry, collection of literary criticism, including the influential "Poetry as Confession", an article appearing in 1959 in which Rosenthall coined the term "confessional" as used in Confessional poetry
Works published in other languages
Denmark">Danish poetry">Denmark
- Naja Marie Aidt. Så længe jeg er ung, first volume of a poetic trilogy which includes Et Vanskeligt mode 1992, and Det tredje landskap 1994
- Inger Christensen, , poems
- Klaus Høeck, Salme, publisher: Brøndum
- Søren Ulrik Thomsen, Hjemfalden
France">French poetry">France
- Yves Bonnefoy:
- * Début et fin de neige
- * Là où retombe la flèche
- Claude Esteban, Soleil dans une pièce vide, Flammarion
India">Indian poetry">India
- K. Siva Reddy, Sivareddy Kavita, Hyderabad: Jhari Poetry Circle, Telugu-language
- Mallika Sengupta, Haghare O Debdasi, Kolkata: Prativas Publication; Bengali-language
- Nirendranath Chakravarti, Aay Rongo, Kolkata: Ananda Publishers; Bengali-language
- Prathibha Nandakumar, Rasteyanchina gaadi, Bangalore: Kannada Sangha, Christ College; Kannada-language
- Rajendra Kishore Panda, Bahubreehi, Jharsuguda: Soubhagya Manjari, Jharsuguda, Oraya-language
Poland">Polish poetry">Poland
- Stanisław Barańczak, Biografioly: poczet 56 jednostek slawnych, slawetnych i oslawionych, light verse; Poznan: a5
- Stanisław Barańczak, Zwierzeca zajadlosc: z zapiskow zniecheconego zoologa, light verse; Poznan: a5
- Czesław Miłosz, Dalsze okolice ; Kraków: Znak
- Tadeusz Różewicz, Płaskorzeźba, Wrocław: Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie
- Jan Twardowski, Uśmiech Pana Boga. Wiersze dla dzieci, Warsaw: Nasza Księgarnia
Spain">Spanish poetry">Spain
- Matilde Camus, Tierra de mi Cantabria
Other languages
- Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, Tomoshibi, Japan, with English translations
- Mario Benedetti, Las soledades de Babel, Uruguay
- Odysseus Elytis, The Elegies of Oxopetras
- Ndoc Gjetja, Kthimet ; Albania
- Alexander Mezhirov, Избранное, Russia
- Eugenio Montale, Tutte le poesie, edited by Giorgio Zampa. Jonathan Galassi in 1998 called this book the "most comprehensive edition of Montale's poems"; posthumously published; Italy
- Nizar Qabbani, Syrian, Arabic-language poet:
- * Do You Hear the Cry of My Sadness?
- * Marginal Notes on the Book of Defeat
- Rami Saari, Gvarim Ba-tzomet, Israeli writing in Hebrew
Awards and honors
Australia">Australian poetry">Australia
- C. J. Dennis Prize for Poetry: Jennifer Maiden, The Winter Baby
- Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry: Jennifer Maiden, The Winter Baby
- Mary Gilmore Prize: Jean Kent - Verandahs
Canada">Canadian poetry">Canada
- Gerald Lampert Award: Diana Brebner, Radiant Life Forms
- Archibald Lampman Award: George Elliott Clarke, Whylah Falls
- 1991 Governor General's Awards: Don McKay, Night Field ; Madeleine Gagnon, Chant pour un Québec lointain
- Pat Lowther Award: Karen Connelly, The Small Words in My Body
- Prix Alain-Grandbois: Jacques Brault, Il n'y a plus de chemin
- Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize: Jeff Derksen, Down Time
- Prix Émile-Nelligan: Rachel Leclerc, Les Vies frontalières
United Kingdom">English poetry">United Kingdom
- Cholmondeley Award: James Berry, Sujata Bhatt, Michael Hulse, Derek Mahon
- Eric Gregory Award: Roddy Lumsden, Glyn Maxwell, Stephen Smith, Wayne Burrows, Jackie Kay
- Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry: Judith Wright
- Whitbread Award for poetry : Michael Longley, Gorse Fires
United States">American poetry">United States
- Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize: Julia Kasdorf, Sleeping Preacher
- Aiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry: John Frederick Nims
- AML Award for poetry Philip White for "Island Spring"
- American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal in Poetry, Richard Wilbur
- Bernard F. Connors Prize for Poetry: Donald Hall, "Museum of Clear Ideas"
- Bollingen Prize: Laura Riding Jackson and Donald Justice
- Frost Medal: Donald Hall
- National Book Award for poetry: Philip Levine, What Work Is
- Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress: Joseph Brodsky
- Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: Mona Van Duyn: Near Changes
- Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize: David Wagoner
- Whiting Awards: Thylias Moss, Franz Wright
- Fellowship of the Academy of American Poets: J. D. McClatchy
Births
- January 14 - George the Poet, English spoken word artist
Deaths
- January 22 - Robert Choquette, Canadian novelist and poet
- January 29 - John Glassco, Canadian poet, memoirist and novelist
- February 21 - Dorothy Auchterlonie, Australian poet, academic and literary critic
- March 10 - Etheridge Knight, American poet
- March 22 - Paul Engle, American poet, writer, editor, and novelist
- April 7 - R. F. Brissenden, Australian poet, novelist, critic and academic
- April 12 - James Schuyler, 67, American poet and a central figure in the New York School, of a stroke
- June 22 - George Thaniel, Canadian poet
- July 5 - Howard Nemerov, 71, former U.S. Poet Laureate, of cancer
- September 2 - Laura Riding Jackson, 90, American poet and writer, of a heart attack
- September 24 - Dr. Seuss, 87, American author of children's verse
- September 27 - Roy Fuller, English poet and writer
- October 11 - Steven "Jesse" Bernstein, American performance poet, suicide
- October 27 - George Barker, English poet
- December 14 - John Arlott, English cricket commentator and poet
- Also - Clementina Suárez, Honduran poet