1984 in poetry

• December 19 – Ted Hughes' appointment as Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom in succession to Sir John Betjeman is announced, Philip Larkin having turned down the post. • After Ghazi al-Gosaibi, the Saudi Arabian minister of health, publishes a poem, "A Pen Bought and Sold", that criticizes the corruption and privilege of the country's elite, he is dismissed from his post. • Prvoslav Vujčić's second collection of poems, Kastriranje vetra ("Castration of the Wind"), written during a week's imprisonment in Tuzla for criticising the state, is prohibited in Yugoslavia. • Scottish Poetry Library established. ==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=== • Robert Gray, The Skylight • Jeff Guess, Leaving Maps, Adelaide: Friendly Street Poets • Chris Wallace-Crabbe, D. Goodman and D.J. Hearn, editors, Clubbing of the Gunfire: 101 Australian War Poems, Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, anthology ===Canada=== • Roo Borson, The Whole Night, Coming Home, (nominated for a Governor General's Award) American-Canadian • Dionne Brand, Chronicles of the Hostile Sun • Leonard Cohen, Book of Mercy • Robert Finch, Double Tuning. Erin, ON: Porcupine's Quill. • Robert Finch, Sailboat and Lake.. Erin, ON: Porcupine's Quill. • Paulette Jiles, Celestial Navigation • George Johnston, Ask Again. • Irving Layton, The Love Poems of Irving Layton: With Reverence & Delight. Oakville, Ontario: Mosaic Press, 1984. • Irving Layton, A Spider Danced a Cosy Jig. Toronto: Stoddart. • Miriam Mandel, The Collected Poems of Miriam Mandel. Sheila Watson, ed. Edmonton: Longspoon Press. • Michael Ondaatje, Secular Love, Toronto: Coach House Press, , ; New York: W. W. Norton, 1985 • James Reaney, Imprecations: The Art of Swearing. Black Moss Press. • Charles Sangster, The St. Lawrence and the Saguenary and other poems (revised edition), edited by Frank M. Tierney (Tecumseh) • Raymond Souster, Jubilee of Death: The Raid On Dieppe. Ottawa: Oberon Press. • Raymond Souster, Queen City. Ottawa: Oberon Press. • Nissim Ezekiel, Latter-Day Psalms ( Poetry in English ), Delhi • Arvind Krishna Mehrotra, Middle Earth ( Poetry in English ), New Delhi: Oxford University Press, • Suniti Namjoshi, From the Bedside Book of Nightmares ( Poetry in English ), Fredericton, New Brunswick : Fiddlehead, ===Ireland=== • Seamus Heaney Northern Ireland native at this time living in the United States: • Hailstones, Gallery Press • Station Island, • Medbh McGuckian, Venus and the Rain, first edition (see revised edition 1994), Oldcastle: The Gallery Press • Derek Mahon, A Kensington Notebook, ===New Zealand=== • Fleur Adcock, editor, Oxford Book of Contemporary New Zealand Poetry • Charles Brasch, Collected Poems, Auckland: Oxford University Press, posthumous • Alan Brunton, And She Said, New York:Red Mole • Lauris Edmond, Selected Poems, winner of the Commonwealth Poetry Prize in 1985 • Bill Manhire, Zoetropes: Poems 1972-82 • Cilla McQueen, Anti Gravity • Ian Wedde: • Georgicon • Tales of Gotham City ===United Kingdom=== • Peter Ackroyd, T. S. Eliot: A Life (biography) • Samuel Beckett, Collected Poems 1930–78 • James Berry (editor), News for Babylon: The Chatto Book of Westindian-British Poetry • Alison Brackenbury, Breaking Ground • Roy Fuller, Mianserin Sonnets ==Works published in other languages==

===Denmark=== • Klaus Høeck; Denmark: • Blåvand revisited, with Asger Schnack, publisher: Schønberg • International Klein Bleu, publisher: Gyldendal ===Poland=== • S. Barańczak, editor, Poeta pamieta ("The poet remembers"), anthology • Stanisław Barańczak, ("Fugitive from Utopia: On the Poetry of Zbigniew Herbert"), criticism; London: Polonia • Czesław Miłosz, Nieobjeta ziemia ("The Unencompassed Earth"); Paris: Instytut Literacki • Jarosław Marek Rymkiewicz, Mogila Ordona ("Ordon's Grave")* Nirendranath Chakravarti; Bengali-language: • Roop-Kahini, Kolkata: Ananda Publishers • Shomoi Boro Kom, Kolkata: Proma Prokashoni • Saroop Dhruv, Mara Hathni Vat, Ahmedabad: Nakshatra Trust, Ahmedabad; Gujarati-language • K. Satchidanandan, Socrateesum Kozhiyum, ("Socrates and the Cock"); Malayalam-language Other languages • Christoph Buchwald, general editor, and Gregory Laschen, guest editor, Luchterhand Jahrbuch der Lyrik 1984 ("Luchterhand Poetry Yearbook 1984"), publisher: Luchterhand Literaturverlag; anthology; Germany • Matilde Camus, Raíz del recuerdo ("Root of remembrance"), Spain • Odysseus Elytis, Ημερολόγιο ενός αθέατου Απριλίου ("Diary of an Invisible April"), Greece • Ndoc Gjetja, Çaste ("Moments"); Albania • Rita Kelly, An Bealach Éadóigh, Ireland • Alexander Mezhirov, Тысяча мелочей ("A thousand small things"), Russia, Soviet Union • Eugenio Montale, Tutte le poesie, enlarged from the original 1977 edition; publisher: Mondadori; posthumous; Italy • Jacques Prévert, La Cinquième Saison, published posthumously (died 1977); France • Jean Royer, ''Jours d'atelier'', Saint-Lambert: Le Noroît; Canada, in French • Håkan Sandell, Efter sjömännen; Elektrisk måne ("After the sailors; Electric Moon"), Sweden ==Awards and honors==

Nobel Prize in Literature: Jaroslav Seifert, a Czech poet ===Australia=== • Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry: Les Murray, ''The People's Other World'' ===Canada=== • Gerald Lampert Award: Sandra Birdsell, Night Travellers and Jean McKay, Gone to Grass • 1984 Governor General's Awards: Paulette Jiles, Celestial Navigation (English); Nicole Brossard, Double Impression (French) • Pat Lowther Award: Bronwen Wallace, Signs of the Former Tenant • Prix Émile-Nelligan: Normand de Bellefeuille, Le Livre du devoir ===Japan=== • Japanese 100 yen note, starting this year and through 2004, features a portrait of Natsume Sōseki 夏目 漱石 (commonly referred to as "Sōseki"), pen name of Natsume Kinnosuke 夏目金之助 (1867–1916), Meiji Era novelist, haiku poet, composer of Chinese-style poetry, writer of fairy tales and a scholar of English literature ===United Kingdom=== • Cholmondeley Award: Michael Baldwin (poet), Michael Hofmann, Carol Rumens • Eric Gregory Award: Martyn Crucefix, Mick Imlah, Jamie McKendrick, Bill Smith, Carol Ann Duffy, Christopher Meredith, Peter Armstrong, Iain Bamforth ===United States=== • Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize: Arthur Smith, Elegy on Independence Day • Bernard F. Connors Prize for Poetry: Gjertrud Schnackenberg, "Imaginary Prisons", and (separately) Sharon Ben-Tov, "Carillon for Cambridge Women" • Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress (later the post would be called "Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress"): Robert Fitzgerald appointed this year in a health-limited capacity, but was not present at the Library of Congress. • Frost Medal: Jack Stadler • Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: Mary Oliver: American Primitive • Fellowship of the Academy of American Poets: Richmond Lattimore and Robert Francis ==Births==

• Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh, Irish-language poet • Legna Rodríguez Iglesias, Cuban poet ==Deaths==

Birth years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article: • January 18 – Ary dos Santos, 46 (born 1937), Portuguese, of cirrhosis • February 6 – Jorge Guillén, 91 (born 1893), Spanish • February 8 – Ishizuka Tomoji 石塚友二 the kanji (Japanese writing) is a pen name of Ishizuka Tomoji, which is written with the different kanji 石塚友次, but in English there is no difference (born 1906), Japanese, Shōwa period haiku poet and novelist • February 17 – Jesse Stuart, 76 (born 1906), American, from a stroke • February 26 – Richmond Lattimore, 77 (born 1906), American poet and translator, of cancer • March 3 – Tatsuko Hoshino 星野立子 (born 1903), Japanese, Shōwa period haiku poet and travel writer; founded Tamamo, a haiku magazine exclusively for women; in the Hototogisu literary circle; haiku selector for Asahi Shimbun newspaper; contributed to haiku columns in various newspapers and magazines (a woman) • April 15 – Sir William Empson, 77 (born 1906), English critic • May 19 – Sir John Betjeman, 77 (born 1906), English poet laureate, of Parkinson's disease • July 2 – George Oppen, 76 (born 1908), American, of Alzheimer's disease • August 26 – Rukhl Fishman (born 1935), Israeli poet of Yiddish poetry • September 14 (possible date) – Richard Brautigan 49 (born 1935), American novelist and poet, of a self-inflicted gunshot wound; the exact date of his suicide is speculative as his body is not found until October 25 • September 29 – Hal Porter, 73 (born 1911), Australian writer, novelist, playwright and poet • December 8 – Edward James, 77 (born 1907), English poet and patron of the arts and of surrealism • December 14 – Vicente Aleixandre, 86 (born 1898), Spanish • December 29 – Robert Farren (Roibeárd Ó Faracháin), 75 (born 1909), Irish ==See also==