The first annual The Best American Poetry volume is published this year.During a poetry reading in which popular Russian poet Andrei Voznesensky took written questions from the audience, he read out two responses: "All of you are Jews or sold out to Jews", one read. Another only said, "We will kill you". In The Ditch: A Spiritual Trial, published in 1986, Voznesensky had written poetry and prose about a 1941 German massacre of 12,000 Russians in the Crimea, and the looting of their mass graves in the 1980s by Soviet citizens that was tolerated, he said, by officials because the victims were primarily Jews. Voznesensky read the notes out loud and challenged the writers to identify themselves. None did.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, PianoJennifer Maiden, The Trust, Black Lightning, AustraliaChris Mansell, Redshift/Blueshift, Five Islands PressChris Wallace-Crabbe, I'm Deadly Serious, Oxford: Oxford University PressLouis Dudek, Infinite Worlds: The Poetry of Louis Dudek. Robin Blaser ed. Monteal: Véhicule.Elisabeth Harvor, If Only We Could Drive Like This ForeverDorothy Livesay, Beginnings. Winnipeg: Peguis.Roy Miki, Tracing the Paths, about bp nichol, critical study;Raymond Souster, Asking for More. Ottawa: Oberon Press.Jayanta Mahapatra, Burden and Fruit ( Poetry in English ), Washington, D.C.: Three Continents PressEunice de Souza, Women in Dutch Painting, Bombay: XAL-PRAXISMeena Alexander, House of a Thousand Doors ( Poetry and prose in English ), Washington, D.C.: Three Continents Press, by an Indian writing living in and published in the United StatesSujata Bhatt, Brunizem ( Poetry in English ),Carcanet Press and New Delhi: Penguin; won the Commonwealth Poetry Prize (Asia) and the Alice Hunt Bartlett AwardRobin Ngangom, Words and the Silence ( Poetry in English ), Calcutta: Writers WorkshopIreland
Ciaran Carson, The New Estate and Other Poems, Oldcastle: New Gallery Press, ISBN 978-1-85235-032-1Harry Clifton, The Liberal Cage, Oldcastle: New Gallery Press, ISBN 978-1-85235-026-0Paul Durcan, Jesus and Angela, Irish poet published in the United KingdomSeamus Heaney: The Sounds of Rain, Emory University, Northern Irish poet at this time living in the United StatesValentin Iremonger, Sandymount, Dublin, including "This Houre Her Vigill", "Clear View in Summer" and "Icarus"Thomas Kinsella:Blood and Family, including "The Messenger" and "Out of Ireland"One Fond Embrace: Peppercanister 13Philippe Jaccottet, The Selected Poems of Philippe Jaccottet, Viking, translated from French by Derek Mahon, Irish poet published in the United KingdomMedbh McGuckian, On Ballycastle Beach Northern Irish poet published in the United KingdomNew Zealand
Fleur Adcock, Meeting the Comet, Newcastle upon Tyne: Bloodaxe Books (New Zealand poet who moved to England in 1963)Jenny Bornholdt, This Big FaceAllen Curnow, Continuum: New and Later Poems 1972–1988Lauris Edmond, Summer Near the Arctic CircleMichele Leggott, Like This?: Poems, Christchurch: Caxton Press, New ZealandCilla McQueen, Benzina winner of the 1989 New Zealand Book Award for PoetryIan Wedde, TenderingLydia Wevers, editor, Yellow Pencils: Contemporary Poetry by New Zealand Women, anthologyFleur Adcock, Meeting the Comet, Newcastle upon Tyne: Bloodaxe Books (New Zealand poet who moved to England in 1963)Patricia Beer, Collected PoemsAlison Brackenbury, Christmas RosesCiarán Carson: The New Estate and Other Poems, Gallery Press, Irish poet published in the United KingdomCharles Causley, A Field of VisionJack Clemo, Selected PoemsWendy Cope:Does She Like Word-Games?Men and their Boring ArgumentsHelen Dunmore, The Raw GardenDouglas Dunn, NorthlightPaul Durcan, Jesus and Angela, Irish poet published in the United KingdomElaine Feinstein, Mother's Girl: HutchinsonDavid Gascoyne, Collected PoemsLee Harwood, Crossing the frozen river: selected poemsIan Hamilton, Fifty PoemsSeamus Heaney: The Sounds of Rain, Emory University, Northern Ireland native at this time living in the United StatesJohn Heath-Stubbs:Collected Poems 1942-1987, Carcanet PressA Partridge in a Pear Tree: Poems for the Twelve Days of ChristmasTime Pieces, Hearing Eye. ISBN 1-870841-02-6Selima Hill, My Darling CamelLibby Houston, NecessityTed Hughes, Moon-Whales, first British edition; published originally in the United States, 1976Mick Imlah, Birthmarks (Chatto Windus, 1988), ISBN 978-0-7011-3358-0Philippe Jaccottet, The Selected Poems of Philippe Jaccottet, translated from French by Derek Mahon, VikingPhilip Larkin, Collected PoemsAlan Jenkins, In the Hot-HousePhilip Larkin, Collected Poems, edited by Anthony Thwaite; posthumously publishedGeorge MacBeth, Anatomy of a DivorceNorman MacCaig, Voice-OverMedbh McGuckian, On Ballycastle Beach Northern Ireland poet published in the United KingdomEdwin Morgan, Themes on a VariationGrace Nichols, editor, Black Poetry, illustrated by Michael Lewis, Blackie (London, England), published as Poetry Jump-Up, Penguin (Harmondsworth, England), in 1989Brian Patten, Storm DamageKathleen Raine, To the SunPeter Reading, Final DemandsJeremy Reed, Engaging FormCarol Rumens, The Greening of the Snow BeachE. J. Scovell, Collected PoemsPeter Scupham, The Air ShowJo Shapcott, Electroplating the BabyLemn Sissay, Tender Fingers in a Clenched FistR.S. Thomas, The Echoes Return SlowNika Turbina, First Draft: Poems by Nika Turbina, translated by Elaine Feinstein and Antonina W. Bouis, Marion BoyarsHeathcote Williams, Whale NationThe New British Poetry, a poetry anthology, jointly edited by Gillian Allnutt, Fred D'Aguiar, Ken Edwards and Eric Mottram, respectively concerned with feminist, Afro-Caribbean, younger and British poetry revival poets, all writing from 1968 to 1988Elaine Feinstein, editor, PEN New Poetry II, QuartetMeena Alexander, House of a Thousand Doors, poetry and prose, Washington, D.C.: Three Continents Press, by an Indian writing living in and published in the United StatesTed Berrigan, A Certain Slant of SunlightJoseph Brodsky: To Urania : Selected Poems, 1965-1985, New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux Russian-AmericanGwendolyn Brooks, WinnieRaymond Carver, In a Marine Light: Selected PoemsMaxine Chernoff, Japan (Avenue B Press)Billy Collins, The Apple That Astonished ParisSeamus Heaney: The Sounds of Rain, Emory University, Northern Ireland native at this time living in the United StatesJane Hirshfield, Of Gravity & AngelsJohn Hollander:Melodious Guile: Fictive Pattern in Poetic LanguageHarp LakeOno no Komachi and Izumi Shikibu, The Ink Dark Moon: Love Poems by Ono no Komachi and Izumi Shikibu, Women of the Ancient Court of Japan (posthumous), translated by Jane Hirshfield and Mariko ArataniFederico García Lorca, Poeta en Nueva York first translation into English as "Poet in New York" this year (written in 1930, first published posthumously in 1940)William Logan, Sullen Weedy LakesJames Merrill, The Inner RoomW. S. Merwin:The Rain in the Trees, New York: KnopfSelected Poems, New York: AtheneumMichael Palmer, SunMarie Ponsot, The Green DarkRosmarie Waldrop, Shorter American Memory (Paradigm Press)The 75 poets included in The Best American Poetry 1988, edited by David Lehman, co-edited this year by John Ashbery:
Frank Birbalsingh, Jahaji Bhai: An Anthology of Indo–Caribbean LiteratureBreyten Breytenbach, Judas Eye: 63 prison poems of an indefinite colour, South AfricanJayanta Mahapatra, Burden of Waves & Fruit, IndiaListed by nation where the work was first published and again by the poet's native land, if different; substantially revised works listed separately:
Nizar Qabbani, Syrian:Three Stone-throwing ChildrenSecret Papers of a Karmathian LoverBiography of an Arab ExecutionerMichel Deguy, Comité ("Committee"), a book attacking French publishers for using poets they rarely publish themselves to help determine which books of poetry to accept; FranceAbdellatif Laabi, translator, Je t'aime au gré de la mort, translated from the original Arabic of Samih al-Qâsim into French; Paris: Unesco/Éditions de MinuitJean Royer, Poèmes d'amour, 1966-1986, Montréal: l'Hexagone; CanadaListed in alphabetical order by first name:
Debarati Mitra, Bhutera O Khuki, Kolkata: Ananda Publishers; Bengali-languageK. Satchidanandan, Veedumattam, ("Changing House"); Malayalam-languageK. Siva Reddy, Mohana! Oh Mohana!, Hyderabad: Jhari Poetry Circle, Telugu-languageKedarnath Singh, Akal Mein Saras, Delhi: Rajkamal Prakashan; HindiMallika Sengupta, Ami Sindhur Meye, Kolkata: Prativas Publication; Bengali-languageNitin Mehta, Nirvan, Ahmedabad: Chandramauli Prakashan; Gujarati-languagePanna Nayak, ' 'Nisbat' '; Gujarati-languageRajendra Kishore Panda, Anya, Cuttack: Friends Publishers, Oraya-languagePrathibha Nandakumar, Itanaka ("Until Now"), Bangalore: Kannada Sangha, Christ College; Kannada-languageTulasibahadur Chetri, nicknamed "Apatan", Karna-Kunti; Nepali-languagePoland
Stanisław Barańczak, Widokowka z tego swiata ("A Postcard from the Other World"), Paris: Zeszyty LiterackieRyszard Krynicki, Niepodlegli nicosci (wybrane i poprawione wiersze i przekłady) ("Independent Nothingness (Selected and Revised Poems and Translations)"); Warsaw: NOWAPiotr Sommer, Czynnik liryczny i inne wierszeMario Benedetti, Yesterday y mañana ("Yesterday and Tomorrow"), UruguayGiannina Braschi, El imperio de los sueños ("Empire of Dreams"), Puerto Rican writer published in Spain (Barcelona)Justo Jorge PadrónAntología poética, 1971-1988Los dones de la tierra"Biblioteca de autores contemporaneos / Mario Benedetti - El autor" (in Spanish), retrieved May 27, 2009. Archived 2009-05-30.Dieter Breuer, editor, Deutsche Lyrik nach 1945, Frankfurt: Suhrkamp (scholarship) West Germany Christoph Buchwald, general editor, and Friederike Roth, guest editor, Luchterhand Jahrbuch der Lyrik 1988/89 ("Luchterhand Poetry Yearbook 1988/89"), publisher: Luchterhand; anthology; West GermanyNiels Frank, Genfortryllelsen, DenmarkHaim Gouri, Heshbon Over ("Current Account, Selected Poems"), Israeli writing in HebrewKlaus Høeck, Lukas O'Kech, publisher: Brøndum; DenmarkNuala Ní Dhomhnaill, Selected Poems: Rogha Danta, Gaelic-language, IrelandRami Saari, Hinne, Matzati Et Beyti ("Behold, I Found My Home"), Israeli writing in HebrewC. J. Dennis Prize for Poetry: Judith Beveridge, The Domesticity of GiraffesKenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry: Judith Beveridge, The Domesticity of GiraffesMary Gilmore Prize: Judith Beveridge, The Domesticity of GiraffesGerald Lampert AwardArchibald Lampman AwardSee 1988 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.Pat Lowther AwardPrix Alain-GrandboisCholmondeley Award: John Heath-Stubbs, Sean O'Brien, John WhitworthEric Gregory Award: Michael Symmons Roberts, Gwyneth Lewis, Adrian Blackledge, Simon Armitage, Robert CrawfordQueen's Gold Medal for Poetry: Derek WalcottAgnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize: Maxine Scates, Toluca StreetAiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry: Richard WilburAML Award for poetry to Dennis Marden Clark for Tinder: answer might be. With an almost Augustinian Dry PoemsBernard F. Connors Prize for Poetry: David Lehman, "Mythologies"Frost Medal: Carolyn KizerPoet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress appointed: Howard Nemerov (also served 1963-64 in the same position, then named "Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress")Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: William Meredith: Partial Accounts: New and Selected PoemsRuth Lilly Poetry Prize: Anthony HechtWhiting Awards: Michael Burkard, Li-Young Lee, Sylvia MossFellowship of the Academy of American Poets: Donald Justice19 June – Sarah Kay, American poet1 October – Michaela Coel, English poet, singer-songwriter, screenwriter, actress and playwrightBirth years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:
January 3 – Rose Ausländer, 86 (born 1901)February 3 – Robert Duncan, 69 (born 1919), heart attackMarch 19 – Máirtín Ó Direáin, 77 (born 1910), Irish poet writing in the Irish languageMarch 26 – Henri Coulette, 60 (born 1927), American poetMarch 30 – John Clellon Holmes, 62 (born 1926), cancerMay 3 – Premendra Mitra (born 1904) Bengali poet, novelist, short-story writer, including thrillers and science fictionJune 16 – Miguel Pinero, 41, cirrhosis of the liverJune 27 – Léonie Adams, 88 (born 1899), American poetOctober 1 – Sir Sacheverell Sitwell, 90, English writerNovember 2 – Stewart Parker, 47 (born 1941), Northern Irish poet and playwright 