Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature (for instance, Irish or France).
January – English literary magazine Horizon is first published in London by Cyril Connolly, Peter Watson and Stephen SpenderJuly 26 – Release of the movie adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice with English poet and writer Aldous Huxley as a screenwriterEnglish poet Basil Bunting joins the Royal Air Force and is eventually sent to Iran as an intelligence officer and translatorAmerican poet Louis Zukofsky finishes the first half of AListed by nation where the work was first published and again by the poet's native land, if different; works listed again if substantially revised:
Mohendra Nath Dutt, Kurukshetra ( Poetry in English ), an epic; Calcutta: P. M. MukherjiP. R. Kaikini, The Recruit ( Poetry in English ), Bombay: New Book Co.Manjeri Sundaraman, Catguts ( Poetry in English ), Madras: Hurley PressA. M. Klein, Hath Not a Jew.E. J. Pratt, Brebeuf and his Brethren, Toronto: Macmillan, 1940. Detroit: Basilian Press, 1942. Governor General's Award 1940.W. H. Auden English poet living at this time in the United States:Another Time, including "September 1, 1939"Some PoemsJohn Betjeman, Old Lights for New ChancelsR. N. Currey, TiresiasCecil Day-Lewis:translation, The Georgics of Virgil (see also his translations of The Aeneid of Virgil 1952 and The Eclogues of Virgil 1963)Poems in WartimeT. S. Eliot:The Waste Land, and Other Poems, The Waste Land first published in 1923East Coker, published in The New English Weekly, Easter Number; published in book form in June; republished in Four Quartets 1944William Empson, The Gathering StormRoy Fuller, PoemsRobert Garioch, pen name of Robert Garioch Sutherland and Sorley MacLean, also known as Somhairle MacGill-Eain, 17 Poems for 6d. in Gaelic, Lowland Scots and EnglishRayner Heppenstall, Blind Men's Flowers are GreenHugh MacDiarmid, editor, The Golden Treasury of Scottish PoetryLouis MacNeice, The Last Ditch, including "The Coming of War" sequence, Northern Ireland poet published in IrelandAlice Meynell (died 1922), The Poems of Alice Meynell, complete editionR. F. Patterson, Mein Rant: a summary in light verse of "Mein Kampf"William Plomer, Selected PoemsStephen Spender, Selected PoemsDylan Thomas, Portrait of the Artist as a Young DogHenry Treece, 38 PoemsW. B. Yeats, Last Poems and Plays, published posthumouslyConrad Aiken, And in the Human HeartW. H. Auden English poet living at this time in the United States:Another Time, including the famous "September 1, 1939"Some PoemsLeonard Bacon, Sunderland CaptureStephen Vincent Benét, Nightmare at NoonWitter Bynner, Against the ColdJohn Ciardi, Homeward to AmericaE. E. Cummings, 50 PoemsRichard Eberhart, Song and IdeaKenneth Fearing, Collected PoemsRobert Hayden, Heart-Shape in the DustPhyllis McGinley, A Pocketful of WryEdna St. Vincent Millay, Make Bright the ArrowsOgden Nash, The Face is FamiliarEzra Pound, Cantos LII–LXXIFrederic Prokosch, Death at SeaKenneth Rexroth, In What HourElizabeth Madox Roberts, Song in the MeadowE. H. McCormick, Letters and Art in New Zealand, scholarshipEwart Milne, Letter from Ireland, Irish poet published in IrelandListed by nation where the work was first published and again by the poet's native land, if different; works listed again if substantially revised:
Louis Aragon, Le Crève-cœurPaul Éluard, pen name of Eugène Grindel, Le Livre ouvert, published from this year to 1941; FrancePierre Reverdy, Plein Verre, FranceOdysseus Elytis's first book, OrientationsGiorgos Seferis:Τετράδιο Γυμνασμάτων ("Exercise Book")Ημερολόγιο Καταστρώματος Ι ("Deck Diary I")Including all of the British colonies that later became India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Listed alphabetically by first name, regardless of surname:
Premendra Mitra, SamratRabindranath Tagore:Nabajatak, with themes and images from urban and industrial life (such as radios, railways and airplanes), a sharp contrast to the rural and natural themes of traditional Bengali poetryRogsayyay, written during his illness and with many images of sickness and worry, but without despondancy (see also Arogya 1941, called a "companion volume" with a contrasting mood)Sanai, poems with a nostalgic toneChelebela, autobiography concerning the author's childhoodSamar Sen, Grahan o Anyana Kabita, Indian, Bengali-languageSubhash Mukhopadhyay, Padatik, poems reflecting Marxist ideology and politics in general, with a combination of lyricism and sloganeering; the consonance and speech-like rhythm of these poems became popular and influential in Bengali poetryV. K. Gokak, also known as "Vinayaka", Samudra Gitagalu, poems about the potency and loveliness of the sea; the poems experiment with new diction and meters, including free verseNarendra Sharma, Palas Van, mostly sensuous poems of love and beautyRamadhari Singh Dinakar, RasavantiAyodhya Singh Upadhyay, also known as "Hariandha", Vaidehi Vanavas, based on Sita's exileB. R. Bendre, also known as Ambikatanaya Datta, Sahitya Samsodhana, literary criticism on some older works of Kannada literatureMuliya Timmappayya, Navanita Ramayana, the Ramayana in ragale meterS. V. Parameshwara Bhatt, Ragini, 28 love poemsMuhiuddin Qadri Zor, Ruh-i tanqid, introduction to principles of Western literary criticismNasiruddin Hashmi, Khavatin-i Dakan Ki Urdu Khidmat, literary history on women Urdu writers from DeccanSyed Mohammad Hasnain, Jauhar-i-Iqbal, literary criticism in Urdu on the poetry of Sir Muhammad Iqbal's Urdu poetryAhad Zargar, Tarana-e-Ahad Zargar, Sufistic ghazals and vatsans; KashmiriDimbeshwar Neog, Asamiya Sahityar Buranjit Bhumuki, a comprehensive review of early Assamese literature; criticismK. V. Jaganathan, Tamilkkavyankal, literary history of Tamil epics, compared to the traditions of Sanskrit poetry and world literatureKavi Nhanalal, Kuruksetra, final part of a 12-canto, Gujarati epic about the war of the Mahabharat, written in poetic prose, interspersed with songs (first canto published 1926)Maiyilai Seeni Venkataswamy, Pauttamum Tamilum, literary history on the influence of Buddhism on Tamil culture and literatureN. M. Sant and Indira Sant, a poet and couple publishing together; N. M. Sant's poems show influences from Madhav Julian, Indira Sant's reflect folklore; MarathiPrahlad Parekh, Bari Bahar, called a "milestone in the history of Gujarati poetry of the post-Gandhian era" by Indian academic Siser Kumar DasSankarambadi Sundarachari, Ma Telugu talliki malle pudanda, popular "prayer song" in Andhra, originally written for a film that was never completed, a record of the song was published, and its popularity led the government of Andhra Pradesh to declare it a prayer song to be sung along with Vandemataram Gerardo Diego, Angeles de Compostela ("Angels of Compostela"), 42 sonnets on diverse topics; SpainFederico García Lorca, Poeta en Nueva York ("A Poet in New York") published posthumously this year (written in 1930;first translation into English in 1988)Dionisio Ridruejo, Poesía en armas ("Poetry in Arms"); SpainCésar Vallejo, España, aparta de mí este cáliz ("Spain, Take This Cup from Me"), Peruvian poet posthumously published (he died in 1938) in Mexico after the first attempt at publication was interrupted during the Spanish Civil War and all copies were lost. That edition was printed by soldiers of the Army of the East, on paper they themselves had made.José Varallanos, Elegia en el mundo, PeruvianAwards and honors
Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: Mark Van Doren: Collected PoemsKing's Gold Medal for Poetry: Michael ThwaitesGovernor General's Award, poetry or drama: Brébeuf and his Brethren, E. J. Pratt Death years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:
January 30 – Sterling D. Plumpp, African-AmericanApril 16 – Rolf Dieter Brinkmann (died 1975), GermanApril 25 – Peter Wild (died 2009), American poet and historian, professor at the University of Arizona in TucsonMay 7 – Angela Carter, née Stalker (died 1992), English novelist and poetMay 24 – Joseph Brodsky, born Iosif Aleksandrovich Brodsky (died 1996), Russian-born American poet and essayist, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature (1987) and Poet Laureate of the United States (1991–1992)June 13 – David Budbill (died 2016), American poet and playwrightSeptember 2 – Harry Northup, American poet and actorSeptember 8 – Jack Prelutsky, American poet noted for children's poemsSeptember 10 – John Curl, American poet, memoirist, translator, author, activist and historianOctober 15 – Fanny Howe, American poet, novelist and short story writer and recipient of the 2009 Ruth Lilly Poetry PrizeOctober 20 – Robert Pinsky, American poet and Poet Laureate of the United States (1997–2000)November 1 – William Heyen, American poet, editor and literary criticNovember 5 – Dmitri Prigov (died 2007), Russian poetNovember 19 – Peter Cooley, American poet and academicDecember 14 – Carolyn Rodgers (died 2010), American poet, leading participant of the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s and founder of one of the country's oldest and largest black-owned book publishersAlso:Martha Collins, AmericanAmal Abul-Qassem Donqol (died 1983), Egyptian Arabic poetMichael Jackson, New Zealand anthropologist and poetPaul Mariani, American poet and academicPattiann Rogers, AmericanAndrew Waterman, English poet and academicBirth years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:
January 5 – Humbert Wolfe (born 1885), British poet and epigrammistMarch 4 – Hamlin Garland (born 1860), American novelist, poet, essayist and short story writerMarch 7 – Edwin Markham (born 1852), American poetMarch 23 – Minakami Takitarō 水上滝太郎 pen name of Abe Shōzō (born 1887), Shōwa period Japanese poet, novelist, literary critic and essayist (surname: Minakami)August 21 – Ernest Thayer (born 1863), American writer and poet who wrote "Casey at the Bat"September 26 – W. H. Davies (born 1871), Welsh-born poet and writer who spent most of his life as a tramp in the United States and United Kingdom, but became known as one of the most popular poets of his timeOctober 11 – Taneda Santōka 種田 山頭火 pen name of Taneda Shōichi 種田 正 (born 1882), Japanese author and haiku poet (surname: Taneda)Ella Higginson (born 1861), American poet 