January 20 — Miller Williams of Arkansas reads his poem, "Of History and Hope," at President Clinton's inauguration.Regeneration (titled Behind the Lines in the United States), a film about World War I poets Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon, is released. It is based on the novel Regeneration by Pat Barker.Jacket online literary magazine founded.Listed by nation where the work was first published and again by the poet's native land, if different; substantially revised works listed separately:
Michael Barnholden, On the Ropes (Coach House Books) ISBN 978-1-55245-002-4Dionne Brand, Land to Light OnClint Burnham, Be Labour Reading (ECW Press) ISBN 978-1-55022-344-6Kwame Dawes, editor, Wheel and Come again: An Anthology of Reggae Poetry, Fredericton, New Brunswick: Goose Lane.Louis Dudek, The Caged Tiger. Montreal: Empyreal Press.John Glassco, Selected Poems with Three Notes on the Poetic Process. Ottawa: Golden Dog Press)Elisabeth Harvor, The Long Cold Green Evenings of SpringRoy Kiyooka, Pacific Windows: The Collected Poems of Roy Kiyooka (posthumous), edited by Roy MikiA.M. Klein, Selected Poems. Selected Poems Seymour Mayne, Zailig Pollock, Usher Caplan ed. Toronto: U of Toronto P, 1997. ISBN 0-8020-0734-1 ISBN 0802077536Laura Lush:Darkening In, Montreal: Vehicule PressFault Line, Montreal: Vehicule PressDon McKay, ApparatusGeorge McWhirter, Incubus: The Dark Side of the LightJohn Reibetanz:Midland SummerNear FinisterreR. Parthasarathy Rough Passage ( Poetry in English ). New Delhi: Oxford University Press, India 1977. ISBN 0-19-560690-6Jeet Thayil, Apocalypso ( Poetry in English ), London: Aark Arts, 1997, ISBN 1-899179-01-1Sudeep Sen, Postmarked India: New & Selected Poems ( Poetry in English ), New Delhi: HarperCollins, ISBN 81-7223-269-1Eunice de Souza, editor, Nine Indian Women Poets, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-564077-2Svami Bhumananda Sarasvati, editor and translator, Anthology of Vedic Hymns: Being a Collection of Hymns from the Four Vedas, Sahibabad, Ghaziabad: Kusum Lat Arya Pratishthan, India.Ireland
Moya Cannon, The Parchment Boat, Oldcastle: The Gallery Press, ISBN 978-1-85235-201-1Michael Coady, All Souls (poems and prose), Oldcastle: The Gallery Press, ISBN 978-1-85235-212-7Aidan Murphy, Stark Naked Blues, New Island Books, ISBN 978-1-874597-67-4William Wall, Mathematics And Other Poems, Collins Press, Cork ISBN 1-898256-26-8New Zealand
Fleur Adcock, Looking Back, Oxford and Auckland: Oxford University Press (New Zealand poet who moved to England in 1963)Jenny Bornholdt, Gregory O'Brien, and Mark Williams, editors, An Anthology of New Zealand Poetry in English, Auckland: Oxford University Press New Zealand (anthology)Jenny Bornholdt, Miss New Zealand: Selected PoemsAlan Brunton, Years Ago Today, documentary essay on poetry in the 1960s, Bumper BooksAllen Curnow, Early Days Yet: New and Collected Poems 1941-1997Kendrick Smithyman, Atua Wera, Auckland: Auckland University Press, posthumousFleur Adcock, Looking Back, Oxford and Auckland: Oxford University Press (New Zealand poet who moved to England in 1963)Simon Armitage, CloudCuckooLand (sic)Charles Causley, Collected Poems (see also Collected Poems 1975)Gillian Clarke, Collected Poems, Carcanet Press, ISBN 1-85754-335-1Elaine Feinstein, Daylight, CarcanetLavinia Greenlaw, A World Where News Travelled Slowly, Faber and FaberTed Hughes, Tales from Ovid; a New York Times "notable book of the year" for 1998Elizabeth Jennings, In the MeantimeJamie McKendrick, The Marble FlyDerek Mahon, The Yellow Book. Gallery PressAndrew Motion, Salt WaterSean O'Brien, The Ideology (Smith/Doorstep)Don Paterson, God's Gift to WomenPeter Reading, Work in RegressPeter Redgrove:Orchard EndWhat the Black Mirror Saw: New Short Fiction and Prose PoetryRobin Robertson, A Painted FieldLabi Siffre, MonumentAnthony Thwaite, Selected Poems 1956–1996Charles Tomlinson, Selected Poems 1955–1997Thomas Rain Crowe with Gwendal Denez and Tom Hubbard, Writing the Wind: A Celtic resurgence: The New Celtic Poetry: Welsh, Breton, Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic, Cornish, Manx, Cullowhee, NC: New Native PressMichael Donaghy, Andrew Motion, Hugo Williams, poets in Penguin Modern Poets 11, PenguinIona Opie and Peter Opie, The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes, Oxford: Oxford University PressCriticism, scholarship, and biography in the United Kingdom
R. F. Foster, W. B. Yeats: A Life, Vol. I: The Apprentice Mage, Oxford University Press ISBN 0-19-288085-3Kim Addonizio, Jimmy & Rita (BOA Editions) 1997Dick Allen, Ode to the Cold War: Poems New and Selected (Sarabande)A.R. Ammons, GlareMarvin Bell, Ardor (The Book of the Dead Man, Volume 2), Copper Canyon PressWendell Berry, Entries, Washington, D.C.: CounterpointFrank Bidart, Desire (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), received the Theodore Roethke Memorial Poetry Prize and the 1998 Bobbitt Prize for Poetry; nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle AwardAlfred Corn, Present, Washington: Counterpoint PressAngela Y. Davis, "Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday", 1997 American Book AwardTess Gallagher, At the Owl Woman Saloon (Scribner), a New York Times "notable book of the year"Amy Clampitt, The Collected Poems of Amy Clampitt (Knopf), published posthumously, a New York Times "notable book of the year"Jorie Graham, The Errancy: Poems (Ecco), a New York Times "notable book of the year"Beth Gylys, Balloon Heart (Wind Publications), Winner of the Quentin R. Howard Award.Robert Fagles (translator), The Odyssey by Homer (Viking), a New York Times "notable book of the year"Susan Hahn, Confession, University of Chicago PressAllison Hedge Coke, "Dog Road Woman", 1997 Coffee House Press "American Book Award"Anthony Hecht and John Hollander, Jiggery-Pokery: A Compendium of Double DactylsPaul Hoover, Viridian, (University of Georgia Press)Fanny Howe, One Crossed OutJane Kenyon, Otherwise: New and Selected Poems (Graywolf), a New York Times "notable book of the year"Maxine Kumin, Selected Poems, 1960-1990 (Norton), a New York Times "notable book of the year"Robert Hass, Sun Under Wood: New Poems (Ecco), a New York Times "notable book of the year"John Hollander, The Work of Poetry, Columbia University PressMaxine Kumin, Selected Poems, 1960-1990, W.W. NortonPhilip Levine, Unselected Poems, Greenhouse Review PressSarah Lindsay, Primate Behavior, National Book Award finalist; Grove PressWilliam Meredith, Effort at Speech: New and Selected PoemsW. S. Merwin, Flower and Hand: Poems, 1977-1983 Port Townsend, Washington: Copper Canyon PressHoward Nemerov, The Collected Poems of Howard Nemerov (which wins the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, the National Book Award, and the Bollingen Prize)Mary Oliver, West Wind: Poems and Prose PoemsCarl Rakosi, The Earth Suite 1997Kenneth Rexroth, Sacramental Acts: The Love PoemsRosmarie Waldrop, Another Language: Selected Poems Talisman HouseC. K. Williams, The Vigil, Fararr Straus, nominated for the National Book Critics Circle AwardDavid Wojahn, The Falling Hour, University of Pittsburgh PressCharles Wright, BlackZodiac, Farrar StrausCriticism, scholarship, and biography in the United States
Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux, The Poet's Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing PoetryJoseph Blotner, Robert Penn Warren: A Biography. (Random House), one of The New York Times "notable books of the year"Bonnie Costello, Celeste Goodridge and Cristanne Miller, editors, The Selected Letters of Marianne Moore (Knopf), one of The New York Times "notable books of the year"Phyllis Grosskurth, Byron: The Flawed Angel (Peter Davison/Houghton Mifflin), one of The New York Times "notable books of the year"Douglas Hofstadter, Le Ton Beau de Marot: In Praise of the Music of Language (Basic Books) "ruminations on the art of translation" with a 16th-century French poem as the prime example, one of The New York Times "notable books of the year"John Hollander, The Work of Poetry (criticism)Sam McCready, A William Butler Yeats Encyclopedia, Greenwood Press (scholarship)Nicholas Murray, A Life of Matthew Arnold (Thomas Dunne/St. Martin's), one of The New York Times "notable books of the year"Helen Vendler, The Art of Shakespeare's Sonnets (Belknap/Harvard University), one of The New York Times "notable books of the year"Harold Bloom edits The Best of the Best American Poetry 1988-1997Ross and Kathryn Petras, editors, Very Bad Poetry (Vintage)Poems from these 75 poets are in The Best American Poetry 1997, edited by David Lehman, guest editor James Tate:
Margaret Avison, Not Yet but Still, AustraliaListed by nation where the work was first published and again by the poet's native land, if different; substantially revised works listed separately:
Olivier Barbarant, Aragon: la mémoire et l'excès, publisher: Editions Champ Vallon, ISBN 978-2-87673-226-1Yves Bonnefoy, L'Encore Aveugle,Seyhmus Dagtekin, Artères-solaires, publisher: L'Harmattan; Kurdish Turkish poet writing in French, living in and published in FranceSuzanne Jacob, La part de feu, Montréal: Boréal, winner of the prix de la Société Radio-Canada, and prix du Gouverneur généralPierre Nepveu, Romans-fleuves, Montréal: Le NoroîtAharon Shabtai, Be-xodesh May ha-nifla’ ("In the Wonderful Month of May")Rami Saari, Maslul Ha-k'ev Ha-no"az ("The Route of the Bold Pain")In each section, listed in alphabetical order by first name:
Joy Goswami, Kabita-Songroho, Vol. 2, Kolkata: Ananda Publishers, ISBN 81-7215-750-9 (third reprint in 2002)Nirendranath Chakravarti, Shondharaater Kobita, Kolkata: Ananda PublishersUdaya Narayana Singh, Ashru o Parihaas, Kolkata: PritoniyaSubrata Bandyopadhyay, Saodāgara o The final judgement ("Saudagar and the Final Judgement"), Kalakata: De'ja PābaliśiṃJiban Narah, Dhou Khela Loralir San, Guwahati, Assam: Nibedon; Indian, Assamese-languageJayant Kaikini, Neelimale, Bangalore: Patrike Prakashana, Indian, Kannada-language poet, short-story writer, and screen writerK. G. Sankara Pillai, K.G. Shankara Pillayude Kavithakal 1969-1996, Kottayam, Kerala: D C Books; Malayalam-languageK. Siva Reddy, Naa Kalala Nadi Anchuna, Hyderabad: Jhari Poetry Circle; Telugu-languageKanaka Ha Ma, Papanashini, Puttur, Karnataka: Kannada Sangha; Kannada languageNamdeo Dhasal, Andhale Shatak, Mumbai: Ambedkara Prabodhini; Marathi-languagePoland
Stanisław Barańczak, Zimy i podroze ("Winter and Journeys"), Krakow: Wydawnictwo LiterackieEwa Lipska, Ludzie dla poczatkujacych, ("People for Beginners"); Poznan: a5Tomasz Różycki, Vaterland, Łódź: Stowarzyszenie Literackie im. K.K. BaczyńskiegoPiotr Sommer, Nowe stosunki wyrazów. Wiersze z lat siedemdziesiątych i osiemdziesiątychWisława Szymborska: Sto wierszy - sto pociech ("100 Poems - 100 Happinesses")Eugeniusz Tkaczyszyn-Dycki, Liber mortuorumMatilde Camus, Mundo interior ("Inner World")Mario Benedetti, La vida ese paréntesis, UruguayAttilio Bertolucci, La lucertola di Casarola, previously unpublished poems, many written in his youth; ItalyChristoph Buchwald, general editor, and Ror Wolf, guest editor, Jahrbuch der Lyrik 1997/98 ("Poetry Yearbook 1997/98"), publisher: Beck; anthologyChen Kehua, Bie ai moshengren ("Don’t Make Love to Strangers") Chinese (Taiwan)Alexander Mezhirov:Позёмка ("Drifting"), RussiaApologii︠a︡ t︠s︡irka: kniga novykh stikhov ("Apologia of the Circus"), including a version of "Blizzard", St. Petersburg, RussiaWang Xiaoni, Wode zhili baozhe wo de huo ("My paper wraps my fire"), ChinaC. J. Dennis Prize for Poetry: Les Murray, Subhuman Redneck PoemsDinny O'Hearn Poetry Prize: Joint winnersDragons in their Pleasant Places by Peter PorterThe Wild Reply by Emma LewKenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry: Anthony Lawrence, The ViewfinderMary Gilmore Prize: Emma Lew - The Wild ReplyGerald Lampert AwardArchibald Lampman AwardSee 1997 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.Pat Lowther AwardPrix Alain-GrandboisShaunt Basmajian Chapbook AwardTrillium Book AwardCholmondeley Award: Alison Brackenbury, Gillian Clarke, Tony Curtis, Anne StevensonEric Gregory Award: Matthew Clegg, Sarah Corbett, Polly Clark, Tim Kendall, Graham Nelson, Matthew WeltonForward Poetry Prize Best Collection: Jamie McKendrick, The Marble Fly (Oxford University Press)Forward Poetry Prize Best First Collection: Robin Robertson, A Painted Field (Picador)T. S. Eliot Prize (United Kingdom and Ireland): Don Paterson, God's Gift to WomenWhitbread Award for poetry and book of the year: Ted Hughes, Tales from OvidAgnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize: Richard Blanco, City of a Hundred FiresAiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry: Fred ChappellAmerican Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal in Poetry, John AshberyAML Award for poetry to Susan Elizabeth Howe for Stone SpiritsBernard F. Connors Prize for Poetry: John Drury, "Burning the Aspern Papers"Bollingen Prize: Gary SnyderNational Book Award for poetry: William Meredith, Effort at Speech: New & Selected PoemsPoet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress: Robert Pinsky appointedPulitzer Prize for Poetry: Lisel Mueller: Live Together: New and Selected PoemsRuth Lilly Poetry Prize: William MatthewsWallace Stevens Award: Anthony HechtWhiting Awards: Connie Deanovich, Forrest Gander, Jody Gladding, Mark TurpinFellowship of the Academy of American Poets: John HainesNorth Carolina Poet Laureate: Fred Chappell appointed.Birth years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:
January 19 – James Dickey, 73 (born 1923), AmericanApril 5 – Allen Ginsberg, 70 (born 1926), of liver cancer, AmericanMay 15 – Laurie Lee, 82, English poet, novelist and screenwriterAugust 27 – Johannes Edfelt, 92, SwedishNovember 12:James Laughlin, 83, American poet, publisher and man of lettersWilliam Matthews, 55, American poet and essayist, of a heart attackNovember 17 – David Ignatow, 83, American poetDecember 13 – Claude Roy, pen name of Claude Orland (born 1915), French poet, novelist, essayist, art critic and journalist; an activist in the Communist Party until his expulsion in 1956December 20 – Denise Levertov, 74, of lymphomaUndated – Stella Sierra, c.80 (born 1917), Panamanian 