1981 in poetry

	… 1971; 1972; 1973; 1974; 1975; 1976; 1977; ; 1978; 1979; 1980; 1981; 1982; 1983; 1984; ; 1985; 1986; 1987; 1988; 1989; 1990; 1991 …;
	In literature 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984
	Art; Archaeology; Architecture; Literature; Music; Philosophy; Science +...;

Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature (for instance, Irish or France).

Events

American poet Jane Greer launches Plains Poetry Journal, an advance guard of the New Formalism movement.
Final issue of L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E magazine published in the United States.
First issue of Conjunctions literary journal published in the United States.
This year, "the word 'Martianism' comes into use, through the verse of Craig Raine and his associates, presenting a vision of life on Earth as seen by a visiting Martian," the 1982 Britannica Book of the Year reports (p. 504). Some note that "Martianism" is an anagram for one of Raine's associates, Martin Amis.

Works published in English

Listed by nation where the work was first published and again by the poet's native land, if different; substantially revised works listed separately:

Australia

R. Hall, editor, Collins Book of Australian Poetry, anthology[1]
H. Heseltine, editor, Penguin Book of Modern Australian Verse, anthology[1]
L. Kramer, Oxford History of Australian Literature (scholarship)[1]
Jennifer Maiden, For The Left Hand, South Head

Canada

Margaret Atwood, True Stories
Alfred Bailey, Miramichi Lightning: The Collected Poems.[2]
Roo Borson, A Sad Device, ISBN 0-86495-011-X, American-Canadian
Louis Dudek, Continuation I. Montréal: Véhicule Press, 1981.[3]
Louis Dudek, Poems from Atlantis. Ottawa: Golden Dog, 1981.
Robert Finch, Has and Is.[4]
Gwen Hauser, Gophers and Swans
George Johnston:
- Auk Redivivus: Selected Poems
- Rocky Shores.[5]
Irving Layton, Europe And Other Bad News. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart.[6]
Dorothy Livesay, The Raw Edges: Voices from Our Time. Winnipeg: Turnstone Press.[7]
Gwendolyn MacEwen, Trojan Women. 1981.[8]
Jay Macpherson, Poems Twice Told: The Boatman & Welcoming Disaster. Toronto: Oxford University Press.[9]
Anne Marriott:
- This West Shore, Toronto: League of Canadian Poets.
- The Circular Coast: Poems New and Selected, Oakville, ON: Mosaic Press.[10]
George McWhirter, The Island Man
P. K. Page, Evening Dance of the Grey Flies, poetry and prose[11]
Stephen Scobie, A Grand Memory For Forgetting
Stephen Scobie and Douglas Barbour:
- The Pirates of Pen's Chance: Homolinguistic Translations
- The Maple Laugh Forever: An Anthology of Canadian Comic Poetry (Edmonton: Hurtig Publishers)
F. R. Scott, The Collected Poems of F. R. Scott. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart.[12] Governor General's Award 1981.
Raymond Souster, Collected Poems of Raymond Souster, Volume Two, 1955-62

India, in English

Keki N. Daruwalla, Winter Poems ( Poetry in English ), Bombay: Allied Publishers.[13]
Jayanta Mahapatra, Relationship ( Poetry in English ), winner of the Central Sahitya Akademi Awardin 1982;[14] Cuttack: Chandrabhaga Society[15]
Pritish Nandy, editor, Indian Poetry in English Today, New Delhi: Sterling Publication Pvt. Ltd.[16]

Ireland

Dermot Bolger, Finglas Lilies
Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin: The Rose Geranium, Dublin: The Gallery Press[17]
Seamus Heaney, Selected Poems 1965-1975, Faber & Faber, Northern Ireland native published in the United Kingdom
Michael Longley, Patchwork,[18] Irish poet published in the United Kingdom
Thomas McCarthy, The Sorrow Garden, Anvil Press, London, Irish poet published in the United Kingdom[19]
Derek Mahon:
- Courtyards in Delft.[18] Gallery Press
- The Hunt by Night[18]
Christopher Nolan, Dam-Burst of Dreams

United Kingdom

Dannie Abse, Way Out in the Centre[18]
Sir John Betjeman, Church Poems[18]
Alison Brackenbury, Dreams of Power[18]
Roberta Berke, Bounds out of Bounds: A Compass for Recent American and British Poetry, Oxford University Press, criticism[20]
Douglas Dunn, St. Kilda's Parliament[18]
D. J. Enright, Collected Poems[18]
James Fenton, Dead Soldiers, Sycamore Press,[21]
Roy Fisher, Consolidated Comedies[18]
Thom Gunn, Talbot Road[18]
Tony Harrison:
- Continuous[18]
- A Kumquat for John Keats[18]
Seamus Heaney, Selected Poems 1965-1975, Faber & Faber, Northern Ireland native published in the United Kingdom
John Heath-Stubbs:
- Buzz Buzz[18]
- Editor, Selected Poems of Thomas Gray
Ted Hughes:
- Under the North Star[18]
- Editor, Collected Poems by Sylvia Plath (see Plath, below)
Peter Levi, Private Ground[18]
Liz Lochhead, The Grimm Sisters[18]
Christopher Logue, Ode to the Dodo[18]
Michael Longley, Patchwork,[18] Irish poet published in the United Kingdom
Derek Mahon:
- Courtyards in Delft.[18] Gallery Press
- The Hunt by Night[18]
Andrew Motion, Independence[18]
Norman Nicholson, Sea to the West[18]
Brian Patten, Love Poems[18]
Tom Paulin, The Book of Juniper[18]
Sylvia Plath, Collected Poems, posthumous, containing 224 poems in chronological order, edited by Ted Hughes; poems by an American, edited by her English husband[18]
Peter Porter, English Subtitles[18]
Peter Reading, Tom O'Bedlam's Beauties[18]
Peter Redgrove, The Apple Broadcast, and Other New Poems[18]
Carol Rumens, Unplayed Music[18]
Elizabeth Smart, Ten Poems
D. M. Thomas, Dreaming in Bronze[18]
R. S. Thomas, Between Here and Now[18]
The Faber Book of Christian Verse

United States

A.R. Ammons, A Coast of Trees[22]
John Ashbery, Shadow Train[22]
Imamu Amiri Baraka, formerly "LeRoi Jones", Reggae or Not![22]
Ted Berrigan, In a Blue River
Robert Bly, The Man in the Black Coat Turns[22]
Paul Bowles, Next to Nothing: Collected Poems 1926–1977[22]
Joseph Payne Brennan, Creep To Death
Joseph Brodsky: Verses on the Winter Campaign 1980, translation by Alan Meyers. – London: Anvil Press[23] Russian-American
Gwendolyn Brooks:
- Black Love
- To Disembark
Jared Carter, Work, for the Night Is Coming
Gregory Corso, Herald of the Autochthonic Spirit, his first collection in 11 years
Peter Davison, Barn Fever and Other Poems[22]
Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Endless Life: Selected Poems[22]
Carolyn Forche, The Country Between Us[22]
Daryl Hine, Selected Poems[22]
John Hollander:
- Rhyme's Reason: A Guide to English Verse, poetry[22]
- The Figure of Echo[22]
Janet Kauffman, The Weather Book[22]
Denise Levertov, Light Up the Cave[22]
Philip Levine, One for the Rose[22]
Frederick Morgan, Northbook[22]
Michael Palmer, Notes For Echo Lake (North Point Press)
Sylvia Plath, The Collected Poems of Sylvia Plath, Ted Hughes, editor, containing 224 poems in chronological order (posthumous)
Marie Ponsot, Admit Impediment
Michael Ryan, In Winter (Holt)
Anne Sexton, The Complete Poems, published posthumously (died 1974)[22]
Leslie Marmon Silko, Storyteller,[24] short stories, poems and photographs
Shel Silverstein, A Light in the Attic a collection of children's poetry
Gilbert Sorrentino, Selected Poems 1958-1980
Gerald Stern, The Red Coal[22]
Robert Stone, A Flag for Sunrise[22]
Mark Strand, The Planet of Lost Things[22]
Richard L. Tierney, Collected Poems
Michael Van Walleghen, More Trouble With the Obvious
David Wagoner, Landfall[22]
Rosmarie Waldrop, Nothing Has Changed (Awede Press)
Diane Wakoski, The Magician's Feastletters[22]
Robert Penn Warren, Rumor Verified: Poems 1979-1980[22]
Richard Wilbur, Seven Poems[22]
Nancy Willard, A Visit to William Blake's Inn, illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen

Criticism, scholarship and biography in the United States

Colin Robert Chase, The Dating of Beowulf
John Hollander:
- Rhyme's Reason: A Guide to English Verse, criticism
- The Figure of Echo, criticism

Other in English

Alistair Campbell, Collected Poems, Hazard, ISBN 1-877393-00-2, New Zealand
C. K. Stead, In the Glass Case, criticism, New Zealand[25]

Works published in other languages

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:

Denmark

Inger Christensen, Alphabet (Alfabet), translated into English by Susanna Nied in 2001[26]
Klaus Høeck:
- Canzone, publisher: Gyldendal [27]
- Sorte sonetter, publisher: Gyldendal [27]
Søren Ulrik Thomsen, City Slang

Canada, in French

Pierre Nepveu, editor, La poésie québécoise, des origines à nos jours, en collaboration avec Laurent Mailhot, Montréal: Presses de l'Université du Québec/l'Hexagone, anthology[28]
Madeleine Ouellette-Michalska, Entre le souffle et l'aine, Saint-Lambert: Le Noroît[29]
Jean Royer, L'intime soif, Montréal: Éditions du silence[30]

France

Alain Bosquet:
- Poèmes, deux
- Sonnets pour une fin de siècle
Jean Cayrol, Poésie-Journal
Michel Deguy, Donnant Donnant[31]
Emmanuel Hocquard, Une ville ou une petite ile[31]
Abdellatif Laabi, Sous le bâillon le poème. L'Harmattan, Paris, Moroccan author writing in and published in France
Charles le Quintrec, La Lumière et l'argile
Jacques Roubaud, Dors
Jacques Roubaud and Florence Delay, Merlin l'enchanteur

German

Christoph Buchwald, general editor, and Rolf Haufs, guest editor, Jahrbuch der Lyrik 3 ("Poetry Yearbook 3"), publisher: Claassen; anthology[32]
V. Hage, editor, Lyrik für Leser: Deutsche Gedichte der siebziger Jahre, anthology[33]
Heinz Toni Hamm, Poesie und kommunikative Praxis (scholarship)[34]
Klaus Weissenberger, editor, Die deutsche Lyrik, 1945-1975 (scholarship)[34]

Hebrew

A. Hillel, Devareiy
Gabriel Preil, a new collection[35]
Avot Yeshurun, a new collection[35]
S. Shalom, a new collection[35]
Yehuda Amichai, Shalva gedola, she'elot uteshuvot
Robert Whitehill, Efes Makom ("No Place"), published in Israel
Peretz Banai, a "new poet"[35]
Esther Ettinger, a "new poet"[35]
Yosef Yehezkel, a "new poet"[35]
Aharon Shabtai, Xut ("Thread")
Mordecai Geldman, a new collection[35]
Hannah Barzilai, a new collection[35]
Batsheva Sharif, a new collection[35]
Michael Senunit, a new collection[35]
Menachem Ben, a new collection[35]

Hungary

György Petri, Örökhétfő

India

Listed in alphabetical order by first name:

Hari Daryani, Amar Gitu, a verse translation into Sindhi of (and commentary on) the Gita[36]
K. G. Sankara Pillai, Kavitha, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: Kerala Kavita; Malayalam-language[37]
K. Satchidanandan, Peedana Kalam, ("Times of Torment"); Malayalam-language[38]
Namdeo Dhasal; Marathi-language:
- Tuhi Iyatta Kanchi?, Mumbai: Ambedkara Prabodhini[39]
- Ambedkari Chalwal, Mumbai: Ambedkara Prabodhini[39]
Nilmani Phookan, Gacia Larkar Kavita, Guwahati, Assam: Bani Prakash, Assamese-language[40]
Nirendranath Chakravarti, Pagla Ghonti, Kolkata: Dey’s Publishing; Bengali-language[41]
Parsram Rohra "Nimano", Sindhi-language[36]
Pritish Nandy and Shakti Chattopadhyay, Pritisa Nandira kabita, Kalikata: Ananda Pabalisarsa[42]
Rajendra Kishore Panda, Choukathhare Chirakala, Cuttack: Friends Publishers, Oraya-language[43]
Rituraj, Pul aur Pani, New Delhi: Rajkamal Prakashan; Hindi-language[44]
Umashankur Joshi, Gujarati-language:
- Dharavastra[36]
- Saptapadi[36]
Vinod Kumar Shukla, Vah Aadmi Chala Gaya Naya Garam Coat Pehankar Vichar Ki Tarah, Hapur: Sambhavna Prakashan; Hindi-language[45]
Udaya Narayana Singh, Anuttaran, Calcutta: Mithila Darshan, Maithili-language[46]
Mehr Lal Soni Zia Fatehabadi, Rang-o-Noor (The Colour and the Light) - published by R.K.Sehgal, Bazm-e-Seemab, New Delhi, Urdu

Italy

Eugenio Montale, L'opera in versi
Carlo Betocchi, Poesie del sabato
Eugenio Montale, Altri verse e poesie disperse (originally published in 1980 under the title L'opera in versi), Milan: Arnaldo Mondadore Editore; Italy[47]
Maria Luisa Spaziani, Geometria del disordine
Giovanni Guidici, Il ristorante dei morti
Amelia Rosselli:
- Primi scritti 1952-1965
- Impromptu

Poland

Stanisław Barańczak, Ksiazki najgorsze 1975-1980 ("The Worst Books"), criticism; Kraków: KOS[48]
T. Kostkiewiczowa and Z. Goliński, editors, Swiat polprawiac—zuchwate rzemiosto, anthology[49]
Ryszard Krynicki, Niewiele więcej. Wiersze z notatnika 78-79 ("Not Much More. Poems From the Notebook 78-79"); Kraków: Cracowska Oficyna Studentow[50]
Ewa Lipska, Poezje wybrane ("Selected Poems"), Warszawa: LSW[51]
Bronisław Maj, Taka wolność. Wiersze z lat 1971-1975 ("Such Freedom: Poems, 1971-1975"); Warsaw: MAW[52]
Piotr Sommer, Przed snem[53]

Portugal

Herberto Helder, Poesia Toda
A. Pinheiro Torre, O Ressentimento dum Ocidental

Brazil

Carlos Drummond de Andrade, A paixão medida
João Cabral de Melo Neto, A escola das faces
Adélia Prado, Terra de Santa Cruz
Mário da Silva, several volumes of poetry

Spain

Antonio Abad, Misericor de mí
Matilde Camus:
- He seguido tus huellas ("I have followed your footprints")
- Testigo de tu marcha ("Witness of your departure")
Concha Lagos, Teoría de la inseguridad
Vincente Presa, Teoría de los límites
Pablo Virumbrales, Cancionero del vaso

Latin America

Mario Benedetti, Viento del exilio ("Air From Exile"), Uruguay[54]

Swedish

Karl Vennberg, Bilder I-XXVI
Goran Sonnevi, Små klanger; en rőst
Eva Runefelt, Augusti

Criticism, scholarship and biography in Yiddish

Itskhak Janoswicz, Avrom Sutzkever, His Poetry and Prose
The Lexicon of Modern Yiddish Literature, the eighth and final volume
Khaim Leyb Fuks, Biographical Dictionary of Hebrew and Yiddish Writers in Canada

Other

Chen Kehua, Qijing shaonian ("Whale Boy") Chinese (Taiwan)[55]
Rita Kelly, Dialann sa Díseart, Ireland
Luo Fu, Wound of Time, Chinese (Taiwan) [56]
Stein Mehren, Den usynlige regnbuen, Norway
Alexander Mezhirov, Selected Works, two volumes, Russia, Soviet Union[57]
Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, An dealg Droighin, including "Sceala" and "Failte Bheal na Sionna don Iasc", Gaelic-language, Ireland[58]
Nizar Qabbani, Syrian poet writing in Arabic:
- I Write the History of Woman Like So
- The Lover's Dictionary

Awards and honors