Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature (for instance, Irish or France).
January 16 - Canadian Poetry Association founded.
May - The term "New Formalism" is first used in the article "The Yuppie Poet" in e AWP Newsletter in an attack on the poetry movement. The term is adopted as the name of the movement by those in it.
November 11 - A memorial to sixteen English poets of World War I is unveiled in Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey.
A memorial to Hugh MacDiarmid is unveiled near his home at Langholm, Scotland.
Boulevard magazine founded at St. Louis University by Richard W. Burgin.
Influential Chinese literary magazine Tamen ("They/Them") founded with Han Dong as chief editor, with close collaboration of other Chinese writers, including Ding Dang, Yu Jian, Xiaojun, Su Tong, Naigu and Xiaohai. Nine issues will be published between 1985–1988 and 1993-1995 and in 2002 Tamen will be revived as a webzine.
Listed by nation where the work was first published and again by the poet's native land, if different; substantially revised works listed separately:
Robert Gray, Selected poems 1963-1983
Chris Wallace-Crabbe, The Amorous Cannibal, Oxford: Oxford University Press
W. Wilde, et al., editors, Oxford Companion to Australian Literature (scholarship)
Roo Borson, The Transparence of November / Snow, ISBN 0-919627-30-7 (with Kim Maltman) American-Canadian
Matt Cohen, In Search of Leonardo
Dorothy Livesay, Beyond War: The Poetry.
Anne Michaels, The Weight of Oranges
P. K. Page, The Glass Air: Selected Poems (an expanded edition published in 1991)
Ajmer Rode, Blue Meditations, by a Punjabi poet living and published in Canada and writing in English; London, Ontario: Third Eye Publications, ISBN 0-919581-31-5
Joe Rosenblatt, Poetry Hotel, Selected Poems (1963-1985). McClelland & Stewart.
Duncan Campbell Scott.Powassan’s Drum: Selected Poems of Duncan Campbell Scott. Raymond Souster and Douglas Lochhead, eds. Ottawa: Tecumseh."
Elizabeth Smart, In the Meantime
Raymond Souster, Flight of the Roller-Coaster: Poems for Younger Readers. Ottawa: Oberon Press.
Raymond Souster and James Deahl. Into This Dark Earth. Toronto: Unfinished Monument Press.
Kamala Das, The Anamalai Poems ( Poetry in English )
Hari Mohan Prasad, Indian Poetry in English, New Delhi: Sterling Pub. Ltd.
Ajmer Rode, Blue Meditations, by a Punjabi poet living and published in Canada and writing in English; Blue Meditations, London, Ontario: Third Eye Publications, ISBN 0-919581-31-5
Ireland
Paul Durcan:
The Selected Paul Durcan, second edition, including "The Hat Factory", "Tullynoe: Tete-a-Tete in the Parish Priest's Parlour"
The Berlin Wall Cafe, including "the Haulier's Wife Meets Jesus on the Road Near Moone", and "Around the Corner from Francis Bacon"; Belfast: Blackstaff Press, Northern Ireland poet published in the United Kingdom
John Ennis, The Burren Days, Oldcastle: The Gallery Press, ISBN 978-0-904011-88-3
Seamus Heaney: From the Republic of Conscience, Amnesty International, Northern Ireland native at this time living in the United States
Thomas Kinsella, Songs of the Psyche, Irish poet published in the United Kingdom
Michael Longley, Poems 1963–1983, Northern Ireland poet published in the United Kingdom
Richard Murphy, The Price of Stone, including "Morning Call"
New Zealand
Ursula Bethell, Collected Poems, edited and with a substantial introduction by Vincent O'Sullivan, Auckland: Oxford University Press (posthumous)
Alistair Campbell, Soul Traps, Pukerua Bay: Te Kotare Press
Janet Charman, Marina Bachmann and Sue Fitchett, Drawing Together, New Women's Press
Bob Orr, Red Trees
Kendrick Smithyman, Stories About Wooden Keyboards, winner of the New Zealand Book Award for Poetry
Ian Wedde and Harvey McQueen, editors, Penguin Book of New Zealand Verse, anthology, revised edition
James Berry (poet), Chain of Days
Carol Ann Duffy, Standing Female Nude
Douglas Dunn, Elegies
Paul Durcan, The Berlin Wall Cafe, Belfast: Blackstaff Press, Northern Ireland poet published in the United Kingdom
D. J. Enright, Instant Chronicles
Roy Fuller:
New and Collected Poems 1934–1984, see also Collected Poems 1962
Subsequent to Summer
Tony Harrison:
Dramatic Verse, 1973-85
The Fire Gap
v.
Seamus Heaney: From the Republic of Conscience, Amnesty International, Northern Ireland native at this time living in the United States
John Heath-Stubbs, The Immolation of Aleph
Thomas Kinsella, Songs of the Psyche, Irish poet published in the United Kingdom
Liz Lochhead, True Confessions and New Cliches
Michael Longley, Poems 1963–1983, Northern Ireland poet published in the United Kingdom
Norman MacCaig, Collected Poems
Derek Mahon, Antarctica,, Gallery Press, Northern Ireland poet published in the United Kingdom
Peter Reading, Ukulele Music
Peter Redgrove, The Man Named East, and Other New Poems
Jeremy Reed, New
Carol Rumens, Direct Dialling
Lisa St Aubin de Terán, The High Place
Stephen Spender:
Collected Poems 1928–1985
The Journals of Stephen Spender, 1939–83 (biographical)
R.S. Thomas, Ingrowing Thoughts
Hugo Williams, Writing Home
Benjamin Zephaniah, The Dread Affair
John Ashbery, April Galleons
Paul Blackburn, The Collected Poems of Paul Blackburn
Joseph Payne Brennan, Sixty Selected Poems (The New Establishment Press)
Raymond Carver, Where Water Comes Together With Other Water
Maxine Chernoff, New Faces of 1952 (Ithaca House)
Amy Clampitt, What the Light was Like
Michael S. Harper, Healing Song for the Inner Ear
Robert Hayden, Collected Poems (posthumously published)
Seamus Heaney: From the Republic of Conscience, Amnesty International, Northern Ireland native at this time living in the United States
William Logan, Difficulty
James Merrill, Late Settings
Lorine Niedecker, From This Condensery and The Granite Pail (posthumous)
Grace Paley, Leaning Forward
Mary Jo Salter, Henry Purcell in Japan, Knopf
Gjertrud Schnackenberg, The Lamplit Answer
Listed by nation where the work was first published and again by the poet's native land, if different; substantially revised works listed separately:
Niels Frank, ÿjeblikket, the author's first book of poetry
Klaus Høeck, Jævndøgn, with Asger Schnack,; publisher: Schønberg; Denmark
Søren Ulrik Thomsen, Mit lys brænder. Omrids af en ny poetik ("In My Candle Burns: Outline of a New Poetics"), criticism; Denmark
Claude Esteban, Le Nom et la Demeure, Flammarion; France
Abdellatif Laabi, Discours sur la colline arabe. L'Harmattan, Paris, Moroccan author writing in and published in France
Jean-Guy Pilon, Comme eau retenue: poèmes 1954-1977, Montréal: l'Hexagone; Canada
György Petri, Azt hiszik
Listed in alphabetical order by first name:
Amarjit Chandan, Kavitavaan, Navyug, Delhi; Punjabi-language
Bernardino Evaristo Mendes, also known as B. E. Mendes, Konkani Sahitik Nibondh; Konkani-language* Jaya Mehta, Akashman Tarao Chup Chhe; Gujarati-language
Kedarnath Singh, Pratinidhi Kavitayen’, Delhi: Rajkamal Prakashan; Hindi-language
Nilmani Phookan, Nrityarata Prithivi, Guwahati, Assam: Barua Book Agency Assamese-language
Thangjam Ibopishak Singh, Norok Patal Prithivi ("This Earth is Hell"), Imphal: V.I. Publication; Meitei language
Poland
Juliusz Erazm Bolek, Teksty
Ewa Lipska, Przechowalnia ciemnosci, ("Storage for Darkness"); Warsaw: Przedswit / Warszawska Oficyna Poetow i Malarzy
Adam Zagajewski, Jechac do Lwowa ("To Travel to Lvov"), illustrations by Józef Czapski; London: Aneks
Matilde Camus, Cristales como enigmas ("Glasses as enigma")
Christoph Buchwald, general editor, and Ursula Krechel, guest editor, Luchterhand Jahrbuch der Lyrik 1985 ("Luchterhand Poetry Yearbook 1985"), publisher: Luchterhand Literaturverlag; anthology
Haim Gouri, Mahbarot Elul ("Summer's End"), Israeli writing in Hebrew
Natalio Hernández, Xochikoskatl (Collar de flores, "floral necklace"), Mexican poet writing in Nahuatl
Nizar Qabbani, Syrian, Arabic-language poet:
Love Does Not Stop at Red Lights
Insane Poems
C. J. Dennis Prize for Poetry: Kevin Hart, Your Shadow; Rosemary Dobson, The Three Fates
Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry, Kevin Hart, Your Shadow
Mary Gilmore Prize: Doris Brett, The Truth about Unicorns
Gerald Lampert Award
See 1985 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
Pat Lowther Award
Cholmondeley Award: Dannie Abse, Peter Redgrove, Brian Taylor
Eric Gregory Award: Graham Mort, Adam Thorpe, Pippa Little, James Harpur, Simon North, Julian May
Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize: Liz Rosenberg, The Fire Music
American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal in Poetry, Robert Penn Warren
AML Award for poetry to Emma Lou Thayne
Bernard F. Connors Prize for Poetry: James Schuyler, "A Few Days"
Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress (later the post would be called "Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress"): Gwendolyn Brooks appointed this year.
Frost Medal: Robert Penn Warren
Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: Carolyn Kizer: Yin
Whiting Awards (inaugural year): Douglas Crase, Jorie Graham, Linda Gregg, James Schuyler
Fellowship of the Academy of American Poets: Amy Clampitt and Maxine Kumin
December 22 – Kate Tempest, English performance poet
Helen Mort, English poet
Birth years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:
January 31 – F. R. Scott, 85, Canadian poet
January 16 – Robert Fitzgerald, 74 (born 1910), American poet and translator from classical languages
March 30 – J. V. Cunningham (born 1911), American poet, literary critic and teacher
April 17 – Basil Bunting, 85, English poet
May 12 – Josephine Miles, 73 (born 1911), American poet and literary critic
May 25 – Robert Nathan, 91, of kidney failure, American novelist and poet
August 14 – Alfred Hayes, 74, of meningitis, English-born American writer of the labor song "Joe Hill"
August 19 – Yamazaki Hōdai 山崎方代 (born 1914), Japanese, Showa period tanka poet
September 22 – D. J. Opperman, 70, South African Afrikaans poet
October 26 – Kikuko Kawakami 川上 喜久子 (born 1904), Japanese, Showa period novelist, short-story writer and poet, a woman
October 31 – Nikos Engonopoulos, 81, Greek poet
November 25 – Geoffrey Grigson, 80, English poet
December 2 – Philip Larkin, 63, of throat cancer, English poet
December 7 – Robert Graves, 90 (born 1895), English-born writer and poet
December 22 – Vailoppilli Sreedhara Menon (born 1911), Indian, Malayalam-language poet
