1983 in poetry explained

Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature (for instance, Irish or France).

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

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

David Brooks, The Cold Front. Sydney: Hale & Iremonger
Les Murray, The People's Otherworld, winner of the 1984 Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry^[1]
Philip Salom: The Projectionist, A Sequence. (Fremantle Arts Centre)
John Tranter, Selected Poems, Hale & Iremonger

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.^[2]
Irving Layton, The Gucci Bag. Oakville, Ontario: Mosaic Press. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart.^[3]
Dorothy Livesay, The Phases of Love. Toronto: Coach House.^[4]
Don McKay, Birding, or Desire^[5]
George McWhirter, Fire Before Dark
Roy Miki, The Prepoetics of William Carlos Williams (critical study)
Joe Rosenblatt, The Sleeping Lady. Exile Editions.^[6]
Raymond Souster, Going the Distance. Ottawa: Oberon Press.^[7]
George Woodcock, Collected Poems, Victoria: Sono Nis Press, Canada^[8]

India, in English

Jayanta Mahapatra, Life Signs (Poetry in English), New Delhi: Oxford University Press^[9]
Dom Moraes, Absences (Poetry in English),
Sudeep Sen, Leaning Against the Lamp-Post (Poetry in English),^[10]

Ireland

Sebastian Barry, The Water-Colourist, Ireland
Padraic Fallon, Poems and Versions (see also Poems 1974 in poetry, Collected Poems1990 in poetry)
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^[11]

New Zealand

Fleur Adcock(New Zealand poet who moved to England in 1963):
- The Virgin and the Nightingale: Medieval Latin poems, Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Bloodaxe Books^[12]
- Selected Poems, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press^[12]
Leigh Davis, Willy's Gazette, Wellington: Jack Books
Lauris Edmond, Catching It: Poems^[13]
M. P. Jackson and V. O'Sullivan, editors, Oxford Anthology of New Zealand Writing Since 1945, anthology^[14] 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^[15]

United Kingdom

Fleur Adcock (New Zealand poet who moved to England in 1963):
- The Virgin and the Nightingale: Medieval Latin poems, Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Bloodaxe Books^[12]
- Selected Poems, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press^[12]
George Barker, Anno Domino^[16]
George Mackay Brown, Voyages^[16]
Alan Brownjohn, Collected Poems 1952 - 1983^[16]
John Cooper Clarke, Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt
Helen Dunmore, The Apple Fall^[16]
Gavin Ewart, Capital Letters^[16]
Padraic Fallon, Poems and Versions (see also Poems 1974 in poetry, Collected Poems1990 in poetry), Irish poet published in the United Kingdom^[16]
James Fenton, Memory of War and Children in Exile^[16]
Roy Fuller, As From the Thirties^[16]
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^[16]
Geoffrey Hill, The Mystery of the Charity of Charles Peguy^[16]
Frances Horovitz, Snow Light, Water Light^[16]
Ted Hughes, River^[16]
Jenny Joseph, Beyond Descartes^[16]
Peter Levi, The Echoing Green^[16]
Christopher Middleton, 111 Poems, Carcanet Press,
Pete Morgan, A Winter Visitor^[17]
Andrew Motion, Secret Narratives^[16]
Paul Muldoon, Quoof, Northern Ireland native published in the United Kingdom^[16]
Grace Nichols, I is a Long-Memoried Woman,^[16] Caribbean Cultural International
Sean O'Brien, The Indoor Park^[16] (Bloodaxe)
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^[11]
J. H. Prynne, The Oval Window^[16]
Carol Rumens, Star Whisper^[16]
Peter Scupham, Winter Quarters^[16]

United States

A.R. Ammons, Lake Effect Country^[18]
Maya Angelou, Shaker, Why Don't You Sing?
Elizabeth Bishop, Collected Poems 1927-1979, posthumous (died 1979)^[18]
Amy Clampitt, Kingfisher^[18]
James Dickey, The Central Motion^[18]
Alice Fulton, Dance Script with Electric Ballerina
Nikki Giovanni, Those Who Ride the Nightwinds^[18]
Frank Graziano, editor, Georg Trakl: A Profile, Logbridge-Rhodes, criticism
H.D. (Hilda Doolittle), Collected Poems, 1912–1944, posthumous (died 1961)^[18]
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^[19]
John Hollander, Powers of Thirteen^[18]
Paul Hoover, Somebody Talks a Lot (The Yellow Press)
Richard Howard, Lining Up^[18]
W. S. Merwin, Opening the Hand, New York: Atheneum^[20]
Gary Miranda, Grace Period
Mary Oliver, American Primitive
Carl Rakosi, Spiritus I
James Reiss, Express
Adrienne Rich, Sources^[18]
William Saroyan, My Name Is Saroyan, a miscellany of fiction, nonfiction, drama and verse; published posthumously (died 1981)^[18]
James Schevill, The American Fantasies: Collected Poems, 1945 - 1981^[18]
Peter Seaton, Crisis Intervention (Berkeley, CA: Tuumba Press)^[21]
Ntozake Shange, A Daughter's Geography^[18]
Louis Simpson, The Best Hour of the Night^[18]
Gary Snyder, Axe Handles^[18]
Eleanor Ross Taylor, New and Selected Poems^[22]
David Wagoner, First Light^[18]
Robert Penn Warren, Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce^[18]

Other in English

M. Nourbese Philip, Salmon Courage, Caribbean^[23]

Works published in other languages

Listed by nation where the work was first published and again by the poet's native land, if different; substantially revised works listed separately:

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^[24]

Germany

H. Bender, Deutsche Gedichte 1930-1960, anthology^[25]
Hiltrud Gnüg, Entstehung und Krise lyrischer subjektivität. Vom Klassischen Lyrischen Ich zur Modernen Erfahrungswirklichkeit, Stuttgart (scholarship)^[26]
Walter Hinderer, editor, Geschichte der deutschen Lyrik vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart, Stuttgart (scholarship), called "indispensable" by the Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics (1993)
Klaus Weissenberger, editor, Die deutsche Lyrik, 1945-1975 (scholarship)^[26]

India

In each section, listed in alphabetical order by first name:

Hindi

Kedarnath Singh, Yahan Se Dekho, Delhi: Radhakrishan Prakashan; Hindi^[27]
Rituraj, Abacus, Hapur: Sambhavana Prakashan^[28]
Teji Grover, Yahan Kucch Andheri Aur Tikhi Hai Nadi, New Delhi: Bharati Bhasha Prakashan^[29]

Other languages in India

Ajmer Rode, Chubhchintan, Amritsar: Nanak Singh Pustakmala; Punjabi-language^[30]
Dilip Chitre, Daha by Daha, Mumbai: Pras Prakashan, Mumbai; Marathi-language^[31]
K. Satchidanandan; Malayalam-language:
- Randu Deergha Kavyangal, ("Two Long Poems")^[32]
- Satchidandandante Kavithakal 1962-82, ("Poems (1962-82)")^[32]
K. Siva Reddy, Bharamiti, Hyderabad: Jhari Poetry Circle; Telugu-language^[33]
Mallika Sengupta, Challish Chander Ayu, Virus publication; Bengali-language^[34]
Manushya Puthiran, Manushya Puthiranin Kavithaigal, Chennai: Manimegalai Prasuram, Tamil language^[35]
Namdeo Dhasal, Khel Marathi-language^[36]
Nirendranath Chakravarti, Ghor-duwar, Kolkata: Ananda Publishers; Bengali-language^[37]
Prathibha Nandakumar, Navu Hudugiyare Heege ("We Girls Are Thus"), Bangalore: Kannada Sangha, Christ College; Kannada-language^[38]

Poland

Zbigniew Herbert, Raport z oblężonego Miasta i inne wiersze ("Report from the Besieged City and Other Poems"), Paris: Instytut Literacki^[39]
Ryszard Krynicki, Ocalenie z nicości ("Salvation from Nothingness"); Krakow: Swit^[40]
Jarosław Marek Rymkiewicz, Ulica Mandelsztama ("Mandelstam Street")^[41]
Piotr Sommer, Kolejny świat^[42]
Jan Twardowski, Który stwarzasz jagody, Krakow: Wydawnictwo Literackie^[43]
Wiktor Woroszylski, Lustro. Dziennik internowania ("Mirror: An Internment Journal")^[44]

Spain

Matilde Camus:
- Tierra de palabras ("Land of words")
- Coral montesino ("Chorale of Monte")

Other languages

Mia Couto, Raiz de Orvalho, Mozambican Portuguese
Luo Fu, Wine-Brewing Stone, Chinese (Taiwan) ^[45]
Klaus Høeck, Denmark:
- Eno High, with Asger Schnack, publisher: Schønberg^[46]
- Metamorphoses, publisher: Gyldendal ^[46]
Marlene van Niekerk, Groenstaar, South Africa

Awards and honors