2001 in poetry
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature.
Events
- Immediately after the September 11 attacks in the United States, W. H. Auden's "September 1, 1939" was read on National Public Radio and widely circulated and discussed for its relevance to recent events. On September 19, Amiri Baraka read his poem "Somebody Blew Up America?" at a poetry festival in New Jersey.
- December 9–10 — Professor John Basinger, 67, performed, from memory, John Milton's Paradise Lost at Three Rivers Community-Technical College in Norwich, Connecticut, a feat that took 18 hours.
- American computer hacker Seth Schoen wrote DeCSS haiku as one of a number of artworks intended to demonstrate that source code should be accorded the privileges of freedom of speech.
- In The Best American Poetry 2001, poet and guest editor Robert Hass wrote, "There are roughly three traditions in American poetry at this point: a metrical tradition that can be very nervy and that is also basically classical in impulse; a strong central tradition of free verse made out of both romanticism and modernism, split between the impulses of an inward and psychological writing and an outward and realist one, at its best fusing the two; and an experimental tradition that is usually more passionate about form than content, perception than emotion, restless with the conventions of the art, skeptical about the political underpinnings of current practice, and intent on inventing a new one, or at least undermining what seems repressive in the current formed style. At the moment there are poets doing good, bad, and indifferent work in all these ranges." Critic Maureen McLane said of Hass' description that "it's hard to imagine a more judicious account of major tendencies."
- The appointment of Billy Collins as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress generated a protest in which Anselm Hollo was elected "anti-laureate" in a contest run by Robert Archambeau.
Works published in English
Australia
- Robert Adamson Mulberry Leaves: New & Selected Poems 1970–2001
- Les Murray, Conscious & Verbal, shortlisted for the 2002 International Griffin Poetry Prize
- Philip Salom, A Cretive Life.
- Chris Wallace-Crabbe, By and Large, Manchester: Carcanet; and Sydney; Brandl and Schlesinger
Canada
- Bruce Andrews, Lip Service
- Louise Bak, Tulpa
- Gary Barwin, Raising Eyebrows
- Christian Bök, Eunoia, winner of the 2002 Canadian Griffin Poetry Prize
- George Elliott Clarke:
- * Execution Poems: The Black Acadian Tragedy of George and Rue. Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Gaspereau Press, Canada
- * Blue. Vancouver: Polestar,
- Victor Coleman, Honeymoon Suite/Letter Drop, illustrations by David Bolduc,
- Diane Keating, The Year One: New and Selected Poems
- Karen MacCormack, At Issue
- Steve McCaffery:
- *Seven Pages Missing Volume 1
- *Seven Pages Missing Volume 2: Selected Ungathered Work
- Roy Miki, Surrender winner of the 2002 Governor General's Award for poetry
- W. Mark Sutherland, Code X
- Sharon Thesen, editor, The New Long Poem Anthology, Burnaby, British Columbia: Talonbooks
- Daniel Wincenty, Words of Wisdom from a Man Claiming to be Fred Rogers
India, in English
- Imtiaz Dharker, I Speak for the Devil, first foreign edition brought out from United Kingdom by Bloodaxe
- Ranjit Hoskote, The Sleepwalker's Archive, Mumbai: Single File
- Arundhathi Subramaniam, On Cleaning Bookshelves, Mumbai: Allied Publishers,
- Sudeep Sen, Perpetual Diary, London: Aark Arts
- K. Satchidanandan, So Many Births: Three Decades of Poetry, Konarak Publishers Pvt Ltd, Delhi
Ireland
- Pat Boran, As the Hand, the Glove
- Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin: The Girl Who Married the Reindeer, Oldcastle: The Gallery Press, Ireland
- Tom French, Touching the Bones, Oldcastle: The Gallery Press,
- Seamus Heaney, Electric Light, Faber & Faber; Irish poet published in the United Kingdom
- Paul Muldoon, Poems 1968–1998 ; a New York Times "notable book of the year"; Irish poet living in the United States
- Aidan Murphy, Looking in at Eden, New Island Books,
New Zealand
- Alistair Campbell, Maori Battalion: a poetic sequence, Wellington: Wai-te-ata Press
- Allen Curnow, The Bells of Saint Babel's, a winner of the Montana New Zealand Book Awards
- Leigh Robert Davis:
- * The Book of Hours, Auckland: Jack Books
- * General Motors, Auckland: Jack Books
- Lauris Edmond, Selected Poems 1975–2000, edited by K. O. Arvidson, Wellington: Bridget Williams Books, posthumous
- Bill Manhire, Collected Poems
- Cilla McQueen, Axis, Otago University Press
- Paul Millar, Spark to a Waiting Fuse: James K. Baxter’s Correspondence with Noel Ginn 1942–1946
- Michael O'Leary, He Waiatanui Kia Aroha
- Hone Tuwhare, Piggyback Moon
- Ian Wedde, The Commonplace Odes
- Kate Camp, Realia, Victoria University Press
United Kingdom
- Eavan Boland, Code
- Ciarán Carson: The Twelfth of Never, Picador, Wake Forest University Press
- Kate Clanchy, Slattern
- Carol Ann Duffy, editor, Hand in Hand: An Anthology of Love Poems, Picador ; 36 poets from around the world were each invited to select a love poem written by someone of the opposite sex and appearing opposite the selecting poet's own love poem
- James Fenton: A Garden from a Hundred Packets of Seed, Viking / Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Seamus Heaney, Electric Light, Faber & Faber; Irish poet published in the United Kingdom
- Geoffrey Hill, Speech! Speech!
- Selima Huill, Bunny
- Elizabeth Jennings, Timely Issues
- Derek Mahon, Selected Poems. Penguin
- Andrew Motion, Here to Eternity
- Paul Muldoon, Vera of Las Vegas; Irish poet living in the United States and published in the United Kingdom
- Sean O'Brien, Downriver
- Craig Raine, Collected Poems 1978–1999
- Peter Reading,
- W.G. Sebald For Years Now. Short Books.
- Jo Shapcott, Tender Taxes
- Hugo Williams, Curtain Call: 101 Portraits in Verse, Faber and Faber
- Benjamin Zephaniah, Too Black, Too Strong
Criticism, scholarship and biography in the United Kingdom
- Stephen Wade, editor, Gladsongs and Gatherings: Poetry and Its Social Context in Liverpool Since the 1960s, Liverpool University Press,
Anthologies in the United Kingdom
- Keith Tuma, Anthology of Twentieth-Century British and Irish Poetry
- Elaine Feinstein, Ted Hughes – The Life of a Poet, Weidenfeld & Nicolson
United States
- Elizabeth Alexander, Antebellum Dream Book
- Ralph Angel, Twice Removed
- Renée Ashley, The Revisionist's Dream
- Bei Dao, At the Sky's Edge: Poems 1991–1996
- Eavan Boland, Against Love Poetry ; a New York Times "notable book of the year"
- Edward Brathwaite, Ancestors, Barbadan poet living in the United States
- Joseph Brodsky: Nativity Poems, translated by Melissa Green; New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Russian-American
- Paul Celan, translated by John Felstiner, Selected Poems and Prose of Paul Celan ; a New York Times "notable book of the year"
- Maxine Chernoff, World: Poems 1991–2001
- Billy Collins, Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems ; a New York Times "notable book of the year"
- W.S. Di Piero, Skirts and Slacks: Poems ; a New York Times "notable book of the year"
- Ed Dorn, Chemo Sábe, Limberlost Press
- Alice Fulton, Felt ; a Los Angeles Times "Best Book of 2001"
- Seamus Heaney, Electric Light ; a New York Times "notable book of the year"; Irish poet living in the United States
- Jane Hirshfield, Given Sugar, Given Salt
- Paul Hoover, Rehearsal in Black,
- James Merrill, Collected Poems, edited by J.D. McClatchy and Stephen Yenser ; a New York Times "notable book of the year"
- W. S. Merwin, The Pupil, New York: Knopf
- Paul Muldoon, Poems 1968–1998 ; a New York Times "notable book of the year"; Irish poet living in the United States
- Amos Oz, The Same Sea ; a New York Times "notable book of the year"
- Carl Phillips, The Tether
- James Reiss, Ten Thousand Good Mornings
- Jay Wright, Transfigurations: Collected Poems ; a New York Times "notable book of the year"
Anthologies in the United States
- Caroline Kennedy, editor, The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, a hardcover New York Times best seller for 15 weeks late this year and into 2002.
- Michelle Yeh and N. G. D. Malmqvist, Frontier Taiwan: An Anthology of Contemporary Chinese Poetry, Columbia University Press
- The Best American Poetry 2001, edited by David Lehman, co-edited this year by Robert Hass
Criticism, scholarship and biography in the United States
- Kate Sontag and David Graham, editors, After Confession: Poetry as Autobiography, Graywolf Press
Other in English
- Edward Brathwaite, Ancestors, Barbadan poet living in the United States
- Pamela Mordecai, Certifiable, Jamaican
Works published in other languages
French language
Canada, in French
- Edmond Robillard, Du temps que le goglu chantait, Montréal: Maxime
- Jean Royer, Nos corps habitables: Poèmes choisis, 1984–2000, Montréal: Le Noroît
France
- Yves Bonnefoy:
- * Le Théâtre des enfants
- * Le Cœur-espace
- * Les Planches courbes
- Seyhmus Dagtekin, Le verbe temps, publisher: L'Harmattan; Kurdish Turkish poet writing in and published in France
- Claude Esteban:
- * Morceaux de ciel, presque rien, Gallimard
- * Etranger devant la porte, I. Variations, Farrago
India
Bengali
- Mallika Sengupta:
- * Deoyalir Rat, Kolkata: Patralekha
- * Amra Lasya Amra Ladai, Kolkata: Sristi Prakashani
- Nirendranath Chakravarti, Kobi Cheney, Shompurno Cheney Na, Kolkata: Dey's Publishing; Bengali-language
Other in India
- Basudev Sunani, Asprushya, Bhubaneswar: National Institute of Social Work and Social Sciences; Oraya-language
- Gulzar, Triveni, New Delhi: Rupa& Co.; in both Urdu and Hindi languages
- Hemant Divate, Chautishiparyantachya Kavita, Mumbai: Prabhat Prakashan; Marathi-language
- Malathi Maithri, Sankarabharani, Nagercoil: Kalachuvadu Pathippagam; Tamil-language
- Manushya Puthiran, Neeralanathu, Nagercoil: Kalachuvadu Pathipagam, Tamil language
- Nitin Kulkarni, Sagla Kasa Agdi Safehaina, Mumbai: Lokvangmaya Griha Prakashan; Marathi-language
Poland
- Juliusz Erazm Bolek, Ars poetica
- Julia Hartwig, Nie ma odpowiedzi, 98 pages; Warsaw: Sic!
- Ewa Lipska, Sklepy zoologiczne ; Kraków: Wydawnictwo literackie
- Tadeusz Różewicz, Nożyk profesora, Wrocław: Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie
- Tomasz Różycki, Chata Umaita, Warsaw: Lampa i Iskra Boża
- Jan Twardowski, Kiedy mówisz. When You Say, Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie, Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie
Other languages
- Christoph Buchwald, general editor, and Adolf Endler, guest editor, Jahrbuch der Lyrik 2002, publisher: Beck; anthology; Germany
- Katrine Marie Guldager, Ankomst Husumgade, publisher: Gyldendal; Denmark
- Klaus Høeck, In nomine, publisher: Gyldendal; Denmark
- Chen Kehua, Hua yu lei yu heliu Chinese
- Jun Er, Chenmo yu xuanhua de shijie, Chinese
- Rahman Henry, Circusmukhorito Graam,, Bangladesh.
- Rie Yasumi, 平凡な兎 and やすみりえのとっておき川柳道場, Japan
Awards and honors
Australia
- C. J. Dennis Prize for Poetry: John Mateer, Barefoot Speech
- Dinny O'Hearn Poetry Prize: Untold Lives and Later Poems by Rosemary Dobson
- Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry: Ken Taylor, Africa
- Miles Franklin Award: Frank Moorhouse, Dark Palace
Canada
- Gerald Lampert Award: Anne Simpson, Light Falls Through You
- Archibald Lampman Award: Colin Morton, Coastlines of the Archipelago
- Atlantic Poetry Prize: Anne Simpson, Light Falls Through You
- 2001 Governor General's Awards: George Elliott Clarke, Execution Poems ; Paul Chanel Malenfant, Des ombres portées
- Griffin Poetry Prize : Anne Carson, Men in the Off Hours
- Griffin Poetry Prize : Nikolai Popov and Heather McHugh, translation of Glottal Stop: 101 Poems by Paul Celan
- Pat Lowther Award: Sharon Thesen, A Pair of Scissors
- Prix Alain-Grandbois: Martine Audet, Les tables
- Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize: Don McKay, Another Gravity
- Prix Émile-Nelligan: Mathieu Boily, Le grand respir
New Zealand
- Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement:
- Montana New Zealand Book Awards First-book award for poetry: Stephanie de Montalk, Animals Indoors, Victoria University Press
United Kingdom
- Cholmondeley Award: Ian Duhig, Paul Durcan, Kathleen Jamie, Grace Nichols
- Eric Gregory Award: Leontia Flynn, Thomas Warner, Tishani Doshi, Patrick Mackie, Kathryn Gray, Sally Read
- Forward Poetry Prize : Sean O'Brien, Downriver
- Forward Poetry Prize : John Stammers, The Panoramic Lounge Bar
- Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry: Michael Longley
- T. S. Eliot Prize : Anne Carson, The Beauty of the Husband
- Whitbread Award for poetry: Selima Hill, Bunny
United States
- Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize awarded to Gabriel Gudding for A Defense of Poetry
- Aiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry, Frederick Morgan
- American Book Award, Janet McAdams, for "The Island of Lost Luggage"
- Bernard F. Connors Prize for Poetry, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, for "Circus Fire, 1944"
- Bollingen Prize for Poetry, Louise Glück
- Brittingham Prize in Poetry, Robin Behn, Horizon Note
- Frost Medal: Sonia Sanchez
- National Book Award for Poetry: Alan Dugan, Poems Seven: New and Complete Poetry
- Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress: Billy Collins appointed
- Poets' Prize: Philip Booth, Lifelines: Selected Poems 1950–1999
- Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: Stephen Dunn, Different Hours
- Robert Fitzgerald Prosody Award: Edward Weismiller
- Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize: Yusef Komunyakaa
- Wallace Stevens Award: John Ashbery
- Whiting Awards: Joel Brouwer, Jason Sommer
- William Carlos Williams Award: Ralph J. Mills, Grasses Standing: Selected Poems, Judge: Fanny Howe
Other
- France: Prix Goncourt for poetry: Claude Esteban, for his oeuvre as a whole
Deaths
- January 17 – Gregory Corso, American Beat Generation poet, of prostate cancer
- February 25 – A. R. Ammons, American author and poet
- February 14 – Alan Ross, British writer and poet
- February 22 – Leo Connellan, American poet
- March 23 – Louis Dudek, Canadian poet, academic critic and publisher
- August 28 – Sansei Yamao, Japanese poet and friend of the American poet Gary Snyder
- September 23 – Allen Curnow, New Zealand poet and journalist
- October 16 – Anne Ridler, English poet and Faber and Faber editor
- October 20 – Andrew Waterhouse, English poet and environmentalist, suicide
- October 26:
- *Pamela Gillilan, English poet
- *Elizabeth Jennings, English poet
- November 18 – R. N. Currey, English poet
- November 25 – David Gascoyne, English poet associated with the Surrealist movement
- December 8 – Agha Shahid Ali, Kashmiri-born English-language American poet
- December 20 – Léopold Sédar Senghor, first President of Senegal, poet and writer
- December 27 – Ian Hamilton, British poet, critic and magazine publisher
- Date not known – Bill Sewell, New Zealand poet, German literary scholar and lawyer