Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature (for instance, Irish or France).
—Opening lines of "Edge" by Sylvia Plath, written days before her suicide
January 26 – Raghunath Vishnu Pandit, an Indian poet who writes in both Konkani and Marathi languages, publishes five books of poems this dayFebruary 11 – American-born poet Sylvia Plath (age 30) commits suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning in her London flat (in a house lived in by W. B. Yeats as a child) during the cold winter of 1962–63 in the United Kingdom about a month after publication of her only novel, the semi-autobiographical The Bell Jar and six days after writing (probably) her last poem, "Edge".July–August – The Vancouver Poetry Conference is held over a three-week period, involving about 60 people who attend discussions, workshops, lectures, and readings designed by Warren Tallman and Robert Creeley as a summer course at the University of British Columbia. According to Creeley:"It brought together for the first time a decisive company of then disregarded poets such as
Denise Levertov,
Charles Olson,
Allen Ginsberg,
Robert Duncan,
Margaret Avison,
Philip Whalen... together with as yet unrecognised younger poets of that time,
Michael Palmer,
Clark Coolidge and many more."
The Belfast Group, a discussion group of poets in Northern Ireland, is started by Philip Hobsbaum when he moves to Belfast this year. Before the meetings finally end in 1972, attendees at its meetings will include Seamus Heaney, Michael Longley, James Simmons, Paul Muldoon, Ciaran Carson, Stewart Parker, Bernard MacLaverty and the critics Edna Longley and Michael Allen.The Soviet government appears to begin removing freedoms previously granted to writers and artists in a process that began in November 1962 and continues this year. Yet the government proves uncertain and the writers persistent. In March 1963 "the gavel fell on the great debate", or so it appears, writes Harrison E. Salisbury, Moscow correspondent for The New York Times. Khrushchev announces that Soviet writers are the servants of the Communist Party and must reflect its orders. Among the authors he specifically targets are the poets Yevgeny Yevtushenko and Andrei Voznesensky. Yevtushenko, on a tour of European cities earlier in the year, recites before large audiences, including a capacity audience at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris, and then returns home. "Literary Stalinists took over almost all the key publishing positions", Salisbury writes. Yet the artists and writers who are criticized either refuse to recant or do so in innocuous language. Alexander Tvardovsky, editor of the magazine Novy Mir, publishes three brutally frank stories by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, for instance. By midsummer, the effects of the announced crackdown appear nil, with authors publishing essentially as before. After the Union of Soviet Writers rebukes Voznesensky, he replies "with what is regarded as a classic nonconfessional confession", according to Voznesensky's 2010 obituary in the Times: "It has been said that I must not forget the strict and severe words of Nikita Sergeyevich [Khrushchev]. I will never forget them. He said 'work'. This word is my program." He continues, "What my attitude is to Communism — what I am myself — this work will show."Listed by nation where the work was first published and again by the poet's native land, if different; substantial revisions listed separately:
Roy Daniells, The Chequered Shade, a collection of short poems, mostly sonnetsR. G. Everson, Blind Man's Holiday, a first book of poemsEldon Grier, A Friction of LightsIrving Layton, Balls for a One-Armed Juggler.Lionel Kearns, Songs of CircumstanceWilson MacDonald, The Angels Of The Earth. Toronto: Nelson.Gwendolyn MacEwen, The Rising FireAlfred Purdy, The Blur in BetweenJames Reaney, The Dance of Death at London, Ontario.Frank Scott, translator and editor, Saint-Denys Garneau and Anne HébertThe Plough and the Pen: Writings From Hungary 1930-1956, translations of Hungarian populust poets and writers by eight Canadian poets, including Earle Birney, A.J.M. Smith and Raymond SousterIreland
Austin Clarke, Flight to Africa, Dublin: Dolmen PressDenis Devlin, Selected Poems, New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Irish poet published in the United StatesRichard Murphy, Sailing to an Island, including "The Poet on the Island", London: Faber and Faber; New York: Chilmark Press, 1965 Irish work published in the United KingdomNew Zealand
James K. Baxter, The Ballad of the Soap Powder Lock-Out, a light-hearted work written by a poet who was at this time a postal worker in New Zealand, in connection with a postal workers’ protest against delivering heavy samples of soap powderAlistair Campbell, Sanctuary of SpiritsKeith Sinclair, A Time to EmbracePatricia Beer, The SurvivorsEdwin Bronk, With Love From Judas, Lowestoft, Suffolk: Scorpion PressW. H. Davies, The Complete Poems of W. H. Davies, introduction by Sir Osbert SitwellC. Day-Lewis, translation, The Eclogues of Virgil (see also his translations The Georgics of Virgil 1940 and The Aenid of Virgil 1952)Lawrence Durrell, editor, New Poems 1963: A P.E.N. Anthology of Contemporary Poetry, London: Hutchinson & Co. Ltd.T. S. Eliot, Collected Poems 1909–1962Michael Hamburger, Weather and Season, London: Routledge and Kegan Paul; New York: AtheneumPhilip Hobsbaum and Edward Lucie-Smith, editors, A Group Anthology of young poets, many influenced by Ted Hughes, including George MacBeth, Peter Porter, David Wevill, and Peter RedgroveJames Kirkup, Refusal to ConformLaurence Lerner, The Directions of MemoryGeorge MacBeth, The Broken Places, Lowestoft, Suffolk: Scorpion PressNorman MacCaig, A Round of ApplauseLouis MacNeice, The Burning Perch (posthumous)John Clark Milne, Poems (posthumous)Richard Murphy, Sailing to an Island, London: Faber and Faber; New York: Chilmark Press, 1965 IrishMargaret O'Donnell, editor, An Anthology of Commonwealth Verse, London: Blackie & SonWilfred Owen (killed 1918), The Collected Poems of Wilfred Owen, edited and introduced by C. Day-LewisF. T. Prince, The Doors of StonePeter Redgrove, At the White Monument, and Other Poems, London: Routledge and Kegan PaulBernard Spencer, With Luck LastingR. S. Thomas, The Bread of TruthAnthony Thwaite, The Owl in the Tree, London: Oxford University PressCharles Tomlinson, A Peopled Landscape, London: Oxford University PressRosemary Tonks, Notes on Cafés and BedroomsConrad Aiken, The Morning Song of Lord ZeroJohn Malcolm Brinnin, Selected PoemsGwendolyn Brooks, Selected PoemsJohn Ciardi, In FactEvan S. Connell (at this time known as "Evan S. Connell Jr."), Notes From a Bottle Found on the Beach at CarmelE.E. Cummings, 73 Poems, posthumously published (died 1962)Babette Deutsch, Collected Poems, 1919-1962Denis Devlin, Selected Poems, New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Irish poet published in the United StatesAlan Dugan, Poems 2Allen Ginsberg, Reality Sandwiches, San Francisco: City Lights Books 6Paul Goodman, The Lordly HudsonDaniel G. Hoffman, The City of SatisfactionsJohn Hollander, Various OwlsRobinson Jeffers, The Beginning and the End and Other Poems, posthumously published (died 1962)Donald Justice, A Local StormH. P. Lovecraft, Collected PoemsW. S. Merwin:The Moving Target, New York: AtheneumTranslator, The Song of RolandHoward Nemerov, The Next Room of the DreamLou B. ("Bink") Noll, The Center of the Circle, a first volume of poetryMary Oliver, No Voyage, and Other Poems (first edition; later released in an expanded edition in 1965)Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar, an autobiographical novel published under the pseudonym "Victoria Lucas"Henry Rago, [2] A Sky of Light Summer, New York: MacmillanJohn Crowe Ransom, Selected Poems, revised and enlarged editionKenneth Rexroth, Natural NumbersAdrienne Rich, Snapshots of a Daughter-in-Law, her third volume of poetry, gains the poet national prominence for her lyric voice, mostly in free verse, and for her treatment of feminist-related themes.Theodore Roethke, Sequence, Sometimes MetaphysicalCarl Sandburg, Honey and SaltAnne Sexton, All My Pretty OnesLouis Simpson, At the End of the Open Road, Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan University PressWilliam Stafford, Traveling Through the DarkJesse Stuart, Hold AprilMay Swenson, To Mix With TimeJohn Updike, Telephone Poles, and Other PoemsMark Van Doren, Collected and New Poems, 1924-1963David Wagoner, The Nesting GroundWilliam Carlos Williams, Paterson, all five books of this long poem first published togetherJames Wright, The Branch Will Not Break, Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan University PressCriticism, scholarship and biography in the United States
Louis Zukofsky, Bottom: On Shakespeare a work of literary philosophyRobert Bly's "A Wrong Turning in American Poetry" published in ChoiceViresh Chander Dutt, Poems and Meditations, Calcutta: self-published; India, Indian poetry in EnglishChris Wallace-Crabbe (Australia):In Light and Darkness, Sydney: Angus & RobertsonEditor, Six Voices: Contemporary Australian Poets, Sydney: Angus & Robertson; American Edition, Westport, Connecticut: 1979 (anthology)Listed by language and often by nation where the work was first published and again by the poet's native land, if different; substantially revised works listed separately:
Inger Christensen, Græs: digte ("Grass")Ivan Malinovski, Romerske Bassiner ("Roman Pools")Jørgen Sonne, Krese ("Cycles")Finland
Lassi Nummi, KuutsimittaaAila Meriluoto, AsumattomiinMarie-Claire Blais, Pays voilés, Québec: Éditions GarneauRonald Desprês, Les Cloisons en vertigeAlfred Desrochers, Le Retour de TitusAlain Grandbois, PoèmesGatien Lapointe, Ode au Saint-LaurentWilfred Lemoine, Sauf-conduitsPierre Perrault, Toutes islesJean-Guy Pilon, Pour saluer une villeEdmond Robillard, Blanc et noir: Poèmes de nature et de grâce, Montréal: Éditions du LévrierLouis Aragon, Le Fou d'ElsaP. Bealu, Amour me cele, celle que j'aimeJacques Dupin, GravirPierre Emmanuel, pen name of Noël Mathieu, La Nouvelle NaissanceLeon-Paul Fargue, Poesies, a collection of the author's early books published here posthumously (died 1947) with a preface by Saint-John PerseMaurice Fombeure, Quel est ce coeur?Paul Gilson, EnigmarelleEugène Guillevic, SphèreEdmond Jabès, Le Livre des QuestionsDenis Roche, Récits completsSaint-John Perse:Au souvenir de Valery Larbaud, Liège: Editions DynamoOiseauxPoésieSilence pour Claudel, Liège: Editions DynamoVictor Segalen, Ode, suivi de ThibetAn anthology of Hungarian poetry translated by poets Jean Rousselot, Jean Follain, and Eugène GuillevicChrista Reinig, Gedichte (East Germany)Erich Fried, Reich der Steine a volume of cycles of poetryRupert Hirschenauer and Albrecht Weber, editors, Wege zum Gedicht, 2 volumes (second volume, on the ballad, published this year, previous volume published in 1956), scholarshipNathan Alterman, a four-volume edition of his writingYehuda Amichai, a book of poetryY. Bat-Miriam, a book of poetryJ. Lichtenbaum, a book of poetryJ. Rabinow, a book of poetryJ. Ratosh, a book of poetryD. Rokeah, a book of poetryS. Shalom, a book of poetryA. Tur-Malkah, a book of poetryListed in alphabetical order by first name:
Indra Dev Bhojvani, also known as "Indur"; Sindhi-language:Bijilyun Thyun BarsaniPraha Bakhun KadhyunNilmani Phookan, Surya Heno Nami Ahe Ei Nadiyedi ("The sun is said to come descending by this river"), Assamese languageHarumal Isardas Sadarangani, Ruha D'ino Relo, Sindhi-languageCarlos Albert, editor, 13 poetas Argentinos de hoy, an anthology from the publisher Editorial Goyanarte (Argentina)Alfonso Alcalde, Variaciones sobre el tema del amor y de la muerte (Chile)Jorge Carrera Andrade, Angel planetario (Ecuador)Mario Benedetti, Uruguay:Inventario, Poesía 1950–1958 ("Inventory, Poems 1950–1958")Poemas del hoyporhoy ("Poems of Today"), UruguayEsther de Cáceres, Los Cantos del destierroRoland Cárdenas, En el invierno de la provinciaLupo Hernández Rueda, Muerte y memoria (Dominican Republic)Francisco Monterde, Sakura, including poetry inspired by epigrams and haiku (Mexico)Solveig von Schoultz, Sänk ditt ljusE. Ayzikovich, a new book of poemsSore Birnboym, a new book of poemsA. Glants-Leyeles, Amerike un ikh ("America and I") (United States)Yirmiyohu Hesheles, Lider ("Poems")L. Kusman, a new book of poemsI. M. Levin, a new book of poemsM. K. Likhtshteyn, a new book of poemsNosn Mark, a new book of poemsLeyb Olitsky, a new book of poemsEfroyim Oyerbakh, Der step vakht ("The Steppe Is Awake"), with Hassidic mysticism as an inspiration (United States) Nakhmen Raf, a new book of poemsEliyohu Reyzman, a new book of poemsM. Shafir, a new book of poemsMoyshe Shklar, a new book of poemsYaykev Fridman, Nefilim, drama in the form of a symbolic poemHersh Leyb Yung, a new book of poemsManuel Bandeira, Estrêla da tarde, a selection from previous works (Brazil)Ascensio Ferreira, Catimbó e outros poemas, a collection of three previous books (Brazil)Awards and honors
Nobel Prize in Literature: Giorgos SeferisEric Gregory Award: Ian Hamilton, Stewart Conn, Peter Griffith, David WevillQueen's Gold Medal for Poetry: William PlomerConsultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress (later the post would be called "Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress"): Howard Nemerov appointed this year.American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal in Poetry, William Carlos WilliamsNational Book Award for Poetry: William Stafford, Traveling Through the DarkPulitzer Prize for Poetry: William Carlos Williams: Pictures from BreughelFellowship of the Academy of American Poets: Ezra Pound and Allen TateMay 26 - Simon Armitage, English poet and playwrightAugust 7 - Lynn Crosbie, Canadian poet and novelistDecember 24 - Naja Marie Aidt, Danish poet and writerAlso:He Xiaozhu, Chinese-Hmong poet, novelist and short story writerMichael Derrick Hudson, American poet and librarianJohn Kinsella, AustralianDon Paterson, Scottish poet, writer and musicianClaudia Rankine, American poet born in Jamaica and raised there and in New York City.Michael Symmons Roberts, EnglishFiona Sampson, EnglishLutz Seiller, GermanBirth years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:
January 29 – Robert Frost, 88, American poetFebruary 11 – Sylvia Plath by suicide, 30, American-born poetMarch 4 – William Carlos Williams, 79, American poetApril 25 – Christopher Hassall, 51, English lyricistMay 6 – Mantarō Kubota 久保田万太郎 (born 1889), Japanese author, playwright and poetAugust 1 – Theodore Roethke, 55, American poet and winner of the 1954 Pulitzer Prize for PoetryAugust 3 – Evelyn Scott (born 1893), American poet, novelist and playwrightSeptember 3 – Louis MacNeice, 55, British poet, playwright and producer, of pneumoniaOctober 11 — Jean Cocteau, 74, French poet, playwright, novelist, painter, designer, producer and criticDecember 2 – Sasaki Nobutsuna 佐佐木信綱 (born 1872), Japanese, Showa period tanka poet and scholar of the Nara and Heian periodsDecember 24 – Tristan Tzara, 67, French poet (native of Romania) and a founder of DadaismAlso:Eva Dobell (born 1867) English poet, nurse, and editor best known for her verses related to World War I soldiersBernard Spencer (born 1909) English poet 