1956 in poetry

yearbox2
in?=in poetry
in2?=in literature
cp=19th century
c=20th century
cf=21st century

yp1=1953
yp2=1954
yp3=1955
year=1956
ya1=1957
ya2=1958
ya3=1959
dp3=1920s
dp2=1930s
dp1=1940s
d=1950s
da=1960s
dn1=1960s
dn2=1970s
dn3=1980s|

Events

* Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath marry
* Black Mountain College, the birthplace of the Black Mountain School of poetry, goes defunct, although it doesn't officially close until the spring of 1957, and the final issue of the "Black Mountain Review" is published in the fall of 1957.
* Quadrant magazine was founded in Australia by Richard Krygier, a Polish-Jewish refugee who had been active in social-democrat politics in Europe, and James McAuley, a Catholic poet.
* September 6 — The New York Times sent poet Richard Eberhart to San Francisco to report on the poetry scene there. Eberhart's resulting article, published this day in the "New York Times Book Review", was titled "West Coast Rhythms" and helped call national attention to "Howl" as "the most remarkable poem of the young group" of poets who were becoming known as the spokesmen of the Beat generation [Allen Ginsberg, "Howl: Original Draft Facsimile, Transcript & Variant Editions, Fully Annotated by Author, with Contemporaneous Correspondence, Account of First Public Reading, Legal Skirmishes, Precursor Texts & Bibliography", edited by Barry Miles [HarperPerennial, 1995] , p. 155]

Works published

* John Ashbery, "Some Trees", United States
* John Berryman, "Homage to Mistress Bradstreet", New York: Farrar, Straus & CudahyM. L. Rosenthal, "The New Poets: American and British Poetry Since World War II", New York: Oxford University Press, 1967, "Selected Bibliography: Individual Volumes by Poets Discussed", pp 334-340]
* Gwendolyn Brooks, "Bronzeville Boys and Girls"
* Robert Chapman and Jonathan Bennett, editors, "An Anthology of New Zealand Verse", Oxford University Press
* Robert Creeley, "If You", American [Everett, Nicholas, [http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/a_f/creeley/life.htm "Robert Creeley's Life and Career"] at the "Modern American Poetry" website, accessed May 1, 2008]
* Charles Doyle, "A Splinter of Glass", New ZealandPreminger, Alex and T.V.F. Brogan, et al., editors, "The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics", 1993, Princeton University Press and MJF Books, "New Zealand Poetry" article, "Anthologies" section, p 837] [ [http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/L/LiteraturePoetry/DenisGlover/en "Denis Glover" article] in "The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, 1966 website, accessed April 21, 2008]
* Allen Ginsberg, "Howl and Other Poems", a signature of the Beat Generation published by City Lights Books, United States
* Zbigniew Herbert's first book: "Struna światła", Poland
* W. Höllerer, editor, "Transit", anthology, GermanPreminger, Alex and T.V.F. Brogan, et al., editors, "The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics", 1993, Princeton University Press and MJF Books, "German Poetry" article, "Anthologies in German" section, pp 473-474]
* John Holloway, "The Minute and Longer Poems", Hessle, East Yorkshire: Marvell Press
* Anne Lindbergh, "The Unicorn, and Other Poems", United States
* Norman MacCaig, "Riding Lights", London: Hogarth Press
* Harry Martinson, "Aniara"
* Octavio Paz, " La estación violenta"
* Kenneth Rexroth (translator), "30 Spanish Poems of Love and Exile" and (translator), "100 Poems from the Chinese", United States
* Reed Whittemore, "An American Takes a Walk"
* Richard Wilbur, "Things of This World: Poems", New York: Harcourt, Brace, United States

Criticism, scholarship and biography

* Rupert Hirschenauer and Albrecht Weber, editors, "Wege zum Gedicht", 2 volumes (second volume, on the ballad, in 1963), Germany Preminger, Alex and T.V.F. Brogan, et al., editors, "The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics", 1993, Princeton University Press and MJF Books, "German Poetry" article, "Criticism in German" section, p 474]
* Walther Killy, "Wandlungen des lyrischen Bildes"

Awards and honors

* Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress (later the post would be called "Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress"): Randall Jarrell appointed this year.
* National Book Award for Poetry: W. H. Auden, "The Shield of Achilles"
* Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: Elizabeth Bishop: "Poems - North & South"
* Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry: Edmund Blunden
* Bollingen Prize: Conrad Aiken
* Fellowship of the Academy of American Poets: William Carlos Williams
* Adonais Prize (Spain): María C. Lacaci, "Humana voz"

Births

* October 7 — Diane Ackerman, American poet and naturalist
*date not known:
** Henri Cole, American poet
** Annie Finch, American poet, librettist, and theorist
** Forrest Gander, American poet, essayist and translator
** Amy Gerstler, American poet
** Amir Or, Israeli poet

Deaths

* January 31 — A. A. Milne, 74, English author of children's books and children's poetry
* March 30 — Edmund Clerihew Bentley, 80, popular English novelist and humorist and inventor of the clerihew, an irregular form of humorous verse on biographical topics
* June 22 — Walter de la Mare, 83, English poet, short story writer and author of children's books
* July 7 — Gottfried Benn (born 1886), German expressionist poet; buried in Dahlem Waldfriedhof, Berlin
* July 11 — Dorothy Wellesley, 70, English socialite, author, poet and literary editor
* July 8 — Giovanni Papini, 75, Italian poet, essayist, journalist, literary critic, and novelist.
* August 31 — Percy MacKaye, 81, American playwright and poet

ee also

* Poetry
* List of poetry awards
* List of years in poetry

Notes