1955 in poetry

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

yp1=1952
yp2=1953
yp3=1954
year=1955
ya1=1956
ya2=1957
ya3=1958
dp3=1920s
dp2=1930s
dp1=1940s
d=1950s
da=1960s
dn1=1960s
dn2=1970s
dn3=1980s|

Events

* The Group, a British poetry movement, starts meeting in London with gatherings taking place once a week, on Friday evenings, at first at Hobsbaum's flat and later at the house of Edward Lucie-Smith. The poets gathered to discuss each other's work, putting into practice the sort of analysis and objective comment in keeping with the principles of Hobsbaum's Cambridge tutor F. R. Leavis and of the New Criticism in general. Before each meeting about six or seven poems by one poet would be typed, duplicated and distributed to the dozen or so participants.
* The Movement poets as a group in Britain came to public notice this year in Robert Conquest's anthology "New Lines". The core of the group consisted of Philip Larkin, Elizabeth Jennings, D. J. Enright, Kingsley Amis, Thom Gunn and Donald Davie. They were identified with a hostility to modernism and internationalism, and looked to Thomas Hardy as a model. However, both Davie and Gunn later moved away from this position.
* Henry Rago [http://www.henryrago.com] becomes editor of "Poetry"
* April — Wallace Stevens is baptized a Catholic by the chaplain of St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut, where Stevens spent his last days suffering from terminal cancer. [Maria J. Cirurgião, “Last Farewell and First Fruits: The Story of a Modern Poet.” "Lay Witness" (June 2000).] After a brief release from the hospital, Stevens was readmitted and died on August 2 at the age of 76.

Beat poets

* On July 19 Beat poet Weldon Kees's Plymouth Savoy was found on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco with the keys in the ignition. When his friends went to search his apartment, all they found were the cat he had named Lonesome and a pair of red socks in the sink. His sleeping bag and savings account book were missing. He left no note. No one is sure if Kees, 41, jumped off the bridge that day or if he went to Mexico. Before he disappeared, Kees quoted Rilke to friend Michael Grieg, ominously saying that sometimes a person needs to change his life completely.
* October 7 — The "Six Gallery reading" takes place in San Francisco with Kenneth Rexroth acting as M.C., Philip Lamantia, Michael McClure, Gary Snyder, and Philip Whalen read, and the event included Allen Ginsberg's first reading of "Howl" (written the previous summer at Ginsberg's cottage in Berkeley, California; the reading (1) brought together the East and West Coast factions of the Beat Generation, (2) was the first important public manifestation of the poetry movement and (3) helped to herald the West Coast literary revolution that became known as the San Francisco Renaissance. In the audience a totally drunken Jack Kerouac refused to read his own work but cheered on the others, shouting "Yeah! Go! Go!" during their performances.

Works published

New Zealand

* James K. Baxter:
** "The Fire and the Anvil", critical study, based on three Macmillan Brown lectures on poetry at Victoria University in 1954, criticism
** "Traveller’s Litany", a long poem published in pamphlet form
* J. R. Hervey, "She Was My Spring" [ [http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/L/LiteraturePoetry/UrsulaBethall/en Web page titled "Ursula Bethall"] in "An Encyclopedia of New Zealand, 1966 website, accessed April 21, 2008]
* Kendrick Smithyman, "The Gay Trapeze", Wellington: Handcraft Press

=United Kingdom=

* Philip Larkin, "The Less Deceived", Hessle, East Yorkshire: Marvell PressM. 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]
* Robert Graves, "Collected Poems 1955", revisions and reprintings of previously published poems; the book was among eight books of poetry included in "A List of 250 Outstanding Books of the Year" in the "New York Times Book Review"."A List of 250 Outstanding Books", "The New York Times Book Review", December 4, 1955]
* Stephen Spender, "Collected Poems. 1928-1953", what he considers his best poems, selected and revised; among eight books of poetry included in "A List of 250 Outstanding Books of the Year" in the "New York Times Book Review".
* R.S. Thomas, "Song at the Year's Turning"

=United States=

* A.R. Ammons, "Ommateum with Doxology", his first book
* W. H. Auden, "The Shield of Achilles", a book of 28 pastoral and devotional poems (his poem of the same name was first published in 1953); among eight books of poetry included in "A List of 250 Outstanding Books of the Year" in the "New York Times Book Review".
* Elizabeth Bishop, "Poems: North & South — A Cold Spring", (Houghton Mifflin); among eight books of poetry included in "A List of 250 Outstanding Books of the Year" in the "New York Times Book Review".
* Paul Blackburn, "The Dissolving Fabric", Highlands, North Carolina: The Divers Press
* Amy Clampitt, "As If: Poems New and Selected"
* Robert P. Tristram Coffin, "Selected Poems", among eight books of poetry included in "A List of 250 Outstanding Books of the Year" in the "New York Times Book Review".
* Gregory Corso, "The Vestal Lady and Other Poems"
* Robert Creeley, "All That is Lovely in Man" [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]
* Emily Dickinson, "The Poems of Emily Dickinson", three volumes, edited by Thomas H. Johnson; a "definitive edition of the Dickinson poems with variant readings critically compared," according to the "New York Times Book Review", which listed it among eight books of poetry included in "A List of 250 Outstanding Books of the Year".
* Robert Hughes, "Collected Poems"
* Isabella Gardner, "Birthdays from the Ocean", her first collection; among eight books of poetry included in "A List of 250 Outstanding Books of the Year" in the "New York Times Book Review".
* William Graham (poet), "The Nightfishing"
* Randall Jarrell, "Selected Poems"
* Howard Nemerov, "The Salt Garden"
* Adrienne Rich, "The Diamond Cutters and Other Poems"
* William Carlos Williams, "Journey to Love"

Criticism, scholarship, and biography in the United States

* Carl Sandburg, "Prairie-town boy" (autobiography; essentially excerpts from "Always the Young Strangers")

Other

* H. E. Holthusen and F. Kemp, editors, "Ergriffenes Dasein: deutsche Lyrik 1900-1950", anthology, GermanyPreminger, 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]
* A. D. Hope, "The Wandering Islands" (Australia)
* Giorgos Seferis, "Ημερολόγιο Καταστρώματος ΙΙΙ" ("Deck Diary III") (Greece)
* D. Stewart and N. Keesing, editors, "Australian Bush Ballads", anthology (Australia) [Preminger, Alex and T.V.F. Brogan, et al., editors, "The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics", 1993, Princeton University Press and MJF Books, "Australian Poetry" article, Anthologies section, p 108]

Awards and honors

* Frost Medal: Leona Speyer
* National Book Award for Poetry: Wallace Stevens, "The Collected Poems"
* Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: Wallace Stevens: "Collected Poems"
* Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry: Ruth Pitter
* Bollingen Prize: Léonie Adams and Louise Bogan
* Fellowship of the Academy of American Poets: Rolfe Humphries

Births

*April 17 — Erin Mouré, Canadian poet
*December 23 — Carol Ann Duffy, British poet
*date not known:
**Marilyn Chin
**Margaret Lindsay Holton
**Kim Morrissey — Canadian poet and playwright
**Patricia Smith poet, "spoken-word performer", playwright, author, writing teacher
**Dean Young — American poet

Deaths

*January 20 — Robert P. Coffin, 62
*June 19 — Adrienne Monnier, 63, French poet and publisher
*July 18 — Weldon Kees, 41, American poet, was presumed dead (see "Events" section). He was a poet, critic, novelist, short story writer, painter and composer.
*August 2 — Wallace Stevens, 75, American poet

References

ee also

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