1961 in poetry

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

Events

 * January 20–Robert Frost recites his poem "The Gift Outright" at United States President John F. Kennedy's inauguration.
 * Sylvia Plath suffers a miscarriage
 * Keith and Rosmarie Waldrop buy a secondhand printing press and start Burning Deck magazine in the United States.
 * Tish literary magazine, founded in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was published intermittently until 1969. Poets associated with the magazine include Frank Davey, Fred Wah, George Bowering, and, briefly, pbNichol when he lived in Vancouver.
 * Kyk-over-al magazine in Guyana ceases publication

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:

Canada

 * Earle Birney, Ice Cod Bell on Stone
 * Arthur Bourinot, Poems: Paul Bunyan, Three Lincoln Poems and Other Verse
 * Leonard Cohen, The Spice-Box of Earth
 * Robert Finch
 * Dover Beach Revisited, a meditation on the significance of Matthew Arnold
 * Acis in Oxford and Other Poems
 * Ralph Gustafson, Rivers Among Rocks
 * Daryl Hine, The Devil's Picture Books
 * D. G. Jones, The Sun is Axeman
 * Irving Layton, The Swinging Flesh
 * Eli Mandel and Jean Guy Pilon, Poetry 62, an anthology
 * Gwendolyn MacEwen:
 * Selah. Toronto: Aleph Press.
 * The Drunken Clock. Toronto: Aleph Press.
 * D. Pacey, Creative Writing in Canada, revised edition (scholarship)
 * Dorothy Roberts, Twice to Flame

Ireland

 * Austin Clarke, Later Poems, Dublin: Dolmen Press, Ireland
 * Thomas Kinsella:
 * Downstream, Dublin: Dolmen Press
 * Poems and Translations, New York: Atheneum

Indian poetry in English

 * Lila Ray, Entrance( Poetry in English ), Calcutta: Writers Workshop, India.
 * Harindranath Chattopadhyaya, Masks and Farewells, Bombay: Asia
 * Ira De, The Hunt and Other Poems ( Poetry in English ), Calcutta: Writers Workshop, India. (revised edition 1968)
 * Sarojini Naidu, The Feather of the Dawn, posthumously published (died in 1949), edited by her daughter, Padmaja Naidu
 * Trilok Chandra, A Hundred and One Flowers

United Kingdom

 * James K. Baxter, Howrah Bridge and Other Poems, London: Oxford University Press, New Zealand poet published in the United Kingdom
 * Thomas Blackburn, A Smell of Burning
 * Alan Brownjohn, The Railings
 * Charles Causley, Johnny Alleluia
 * Jack Clemo, The Map of Clay
 * Padraic Colum, Irish Elegies
 * Donald Davie, New and Selected Poems, Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press
 * Ian Hamilton Finlay, Glasgow Beasts, An a Burd, Edinburgh: Wild Flounder Press
 * Roy Fisher, City
 * John Fuller, Fairground Music
 * Robert Graves, More Poems 1961
 * Thom Gunn, My Sad Captains, and Other Poems, London: Faber and Faber; University of Chicago Press
 * Ralph Hodgson, Collected Poems
 * David Holbrook, Imaginings
 * Graham Hough, Legends and Pastorals
 * Elizabeth Jennings, Song for a Birth or a Death, and Other Poems
 * Edward Lucie-Smith, A Tropical Childhood, and Other Poems, including "The Witnesses", "The Fault", and "On Looking at Stubb's Anatomy of the Horse"
 * Hugh MacDiarmid, pen name of Christohper Murray Grieve, The Kind of Poetry I Want
 * Louis MacNeice, Solstices
 * John Masefield, Bluebells, and Other Verse
 * John Montague, The Nature of Cold Weather, London: MacGibbon and Kee
 * Peter Porter, Once Bitten, Twice Bitten, by an Australian living in England, Northwood, Middlesex: Scorpion Press
 * Peter Redgrove, The Collector, London: Routledge and Kegan Paul
 * Siegfried Sassoon, Collected Poems
 * C. H. Sisson, The London Zoo
 * Iain Crichton Smith, Thistles and Roses
 * Jon Stallworthy, The Astronomy of Love
 * Gillian Stoneham, When That April
 * R.S. Thomas, Tares, Welsh
 * Marina Tsvetayeva, The Selected Poems of Marina Tsvetayeva, translated by Elaine Feinstein, Oxford University Press, first of four editions (and a much-revised fifth edition)
 * John Wain, Weep Before God, including "Time Was", which won second prize in the international Borestone Mountain Poetry Awards competition, London: Macmillan

Criticism, scholarship and biography in the United Kingdom

 * William Empson, Milton's God
 * Doris Landley Moore, The Late Lord Byron

United States

 * Lee Anderson, Nags Head
 * Helen Bevington, When Found, Make a Verse Of
 * Paul Blackburn, The Nets
 * Harold Bloom, John Hollander, editors, The Wind and the Rain
 * Philip Booth, The Islanders
 * Joseph Payne Brennan, The Wind of Time
 * John Ciardi, In the Stoneworks
 * Leonard Cohen, The Spice-Box of Earth
 * Donald Davidson, The Long Street
 * August Derleth, editor, Fire and Sleet and Candlelight
 * Hilda Doolittle (H.D.), Helen in Egypt, a long retelling of the tale in lyrical prose and verse of the Helen of Troy tale
 * Ed Dorn, The Newly Fallen, Totem Press
 * Alan Dugan, Poems
 * Abbie Houston Evans, Fact of Crystal
 * Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Starting from San Francisco
 * Arthur Freeman, Apollonian Poems
 * George Garrett, Abraham's Knife
 * Allen Ginsberg:
 * Empty Mirror: Early Poems, New York: Totem/Corinth
 * Kaddish and Other Poems, San Francisco: City Lights Books
 * Horace Gregory, Medusa in Gramercy Park
 * Thom Gunn, My Sad Captains, London: Faber and Faber; University of Chicago Press Briton
 * Daryl Hine, Heroics
 * John Hollander, The Untuning of the Sky (also see Harold Bloom/John Hollander item above)
 * John Holmes, The Fortune Teller
 * David Ignatow, Say Pardon
 * LeRoi Jones, Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note
 * Carolyn Kizer, The Ungrateful Garden, Bloomington: Indiana University Press
 * Maxine Kumin, Halfway
 * Denise Levertov, The Jacob's Ladder, New York: New Directions
 * Philip Levine, On the Edge
 * Robert Lowell, Imitations
 * W. S. Merwin:
 * Translator, Some Spanish Ballads, London: Abelard (American edition: Spanish Ballads, 1961, New York: Doubleday Anchor)
 * Editor, West Wind: Supplement of American Poetry, London: Poetry Book Society
 * Pablo Neruda, Odas elementales, translated by C. Lozano and with an introduction by Fernando AlegrÃ­a
 * Lorine Niedecker, My Friend Tree (published with help from Ian Hamilton Finlay)
 * John Nist, editor, Modern Brazilian Poetry
 * Charles Olson:
 * The Maximus Poems
 * The Distances
 * Hyam Plutzik, Horatio, a narrative monologue basically in blank verse
 * Theodore Roethke, I Am! Says the Lamb
 * May Sarton, Cloud, Stone, Sun, Vine
 * Peter Viereck, The Tree Witch
 * John Hall Wheelock, The Gardener
 * Richard Wilbur, Advice to a Prophet
 * James Wright and Robert Bly, translators, Twenty Poems of Georg Trakl (Austrian poet writing in German), The Sixties Press

Criticism, scholarship and biography in the United States

 * Roger Asselineau, The Evolution of Walt Whitman
 * Walter Lowenfels, editor, Walt Whitman's Civil War, Whitman's writing about the war
 * Edwin Haviland Miller, The Correspondence of Walt Whitman (1842â€“1875, in two volumes)
 * Archibald MacLeish, Poetry and Experience (autobiography)

Other in English

 * James K. Baxter, Howrah Bridge and Other Poems, London: Oxford University Press, New Zealand poet published in the United Kingdom
 * Allen Curnow, editor, Penguin Book of New Zealand Verse,
 * A. D. Hope, Poems (Australia)
 * Kenneth Slessor, The Penguin Book of Modern Australian Verse, Melbourne, Australia, anthology

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:

Canada, in French

 * Rina Lasnier, MÃ©moire sans jour
 * Paul Marie Lapointe, Choix de poÃ¨mes
 * Jean-Guy Pilon:
 * La Mouette et le large
 * Recours au pays, MontrÃ©al: l'Hexagone

France

 * Andre du Bouchet, Dans la chaleur vacante
 * AimÃ© CÃ©saire,Cadastre, Martinique author published in France; Paris: Editions du Seuil
 * Jean Cocteau, Le CÃ©rÃ©monial espagnol de Phoenix
 * Michel Deguy, Poemes de la presqu'ile
 * Max Pol Fouchet, Demeure le Secret
 * EugÃ¨ne Guillevic, Carnac
 * Henri Michaux, Connaisance par les gouffres (Life Through Darkness: Exploration Through Drugs"), Paris: Gallimard
 * Marie NoÃ«l, Chants d'arriÃ¨re-saison
 * Francis Ponge, Le Grand Recueil, three volumes
 * Raymond Queneau, Cent mille milliards de poÃ¨mes
 * Georges SchÃ©hadÃ©, Nocturnes
 * LÃ©opold SÃ©dar Senghor, Nocturnes
 * Jean Tardieu, Choix de poÃ¨mes

Criticism, scholarship and biography in France

 * AndrÃ© Berry, editor, Anthologie de la poÃ©sie occitane
 * Yves Bonnefoy, Rimbaud
 * Saint-John Perse, PoÃ©sie: allocution au Banquet Nobel du 10 dÃ©cembre 1960, Paris: Gallimard

Germany

 * Clemens Hesselhaus, editor, Deutsche Lyrik der Moderne: von Nietzsche bis Yvan Goll DÃ¼sseldorf: August Bagel an anthology

Criticism, scholarship and biography in Germany

 * Wilhelm Emrich, Protest und Verheissung (criticism)
 * Walter Jens, Deutsche Literatur der Gegenwart (criticism)

Hebrew

 * J. Akavyahu, Manginot Hazot ("Midnight Music")
 * Anonymous poet from a Soviet Bloc country, Behilokah Halail ("As the Night Is Taken"), the poems were clandestinely smuggled into Israel and published
 * K. A. Bertini, Shevil Kahol ("Blue Path")
 * A. Broides, El ha-Shahar ha-Gonuz ("Toward the Hidden Dawn")
 * Yonah David, Shirim Le-lo Ahava ("Poems on Nonlove")
 * Israel Efros, Bain Hofim Nistarim ("Among Hidden Shores")
 * Hayim Guri, Shoshanat ha-Ruhot ("Rose of the Winds")
 * Yosef Lichtenbaum, ba-Mishor ha-Govoha ("On a High Plain")
 * E. Lisitzky, Kemo ha-Yom Rad ("As the Day Wanes") published in the United States
 * Anda Pinkerfield-Amir, Gadish ve-Omer ("Sheaf and Measure")
 * Gabriel Preil, Mapat Erew ("Map of Evening"), published in the United States
 * T. Ribner, Shirim Limzo Et ("Poems in Search of Time")
 * Rena Shani, Ir Zara ("Strange City")
 * Nathan Zakh, Shirim Shonim ("Various")

Criticism, scholarship and biography in Hebrew

 * B. Kurzweil, Bialik ve- Tchernichovsky &mdash; Mehkarim be-Shiratam, about aspects of the works of two important poets of the Hebrew literary renaissance

India
Listed in alphabetical order by first name:
 * Akhtarul Imam, Yaden, Urdu-language
 * Ayyappa Paniker, Kurukshetram (written 1952–1957), Malayalam-language
 * Nirendranath Chakravarti; Bengali-language:
 * Prothom Nayok, Kolkata: Surabhi Prokashoni
 * Ondhokar Baranda, Kolkata: Krittibaash Prokashoni
 * Kunwar Narain, Parivesh Hum Tum, Allahabad: Bharti Bahandar, Leader Press; Hindi-language

Italy

 * Attilio Giuliani, editor, Novissimi, an anthology-cum-manifesto of five poets which, by 1965, was "increasingly regarded as the principal event in Italian poetry in recent times"

Portugal

 * Herberto HÃ©lder, A Colher na Boca ("The Spoon in the Mouth")
 * MÃ¡rio Cesariny:
 * Poesia
 * PlanisfÃ©rio e Outros Poemas

Spain

 * MarÃ­a Victoria Atencia, CaÃ±ada de los ingleses
 * Miguel HernÃ¡ndez, a "complete" collection of poems (posthumous)
 * Gerardo Diego, Glosa a Villamediana

Anthologies in Spain

 * Jimenez Martos, editor, Nuevos poetas espaÃ±oles, mostly on the work of the "Generation of '54"
 * Rafael Montesinos, editor, PoesÃ­a taurina contemporÃ¡nea, including verse by Miguel HernÃ¡ndez, Diego and GarcÃ­a Lorca

Latin America

 * Roque Dalton, La ventana en rel rostro (El Salvador)
 * Hernando DomÃ­nguez de Camargo, Obras de Hernando DomÃ­nguez de Camargo (posthumous)
 * Octavio Paz, Libertad bajo palabra collected poems previously published from 1935 to 1958 in a volume using the title of an earlier book of his
 * Carlos A. Velazco, El corazÃ³n de silencio

Anthologies in Latin America

 * Anuario del cuento mexicano (Mexico)
 * GinÃ©s de Albareda and F. Garfias, editors, AntologÃ­a de la poesÃ­a hispanoamericana, Volume 8, devoted to Chilean poetry

Israel

 * Y Fridman, Di legende fun Neyakh Grin ("The Legend of Noah Green")
 * L. Fuks, editor, Schemuelbuch, a scholarly edition of this old Yiddish epic
 * Avrom Lev, a book of poetry
 * Leyb Olitsky, a book of poetry
 * Y Papernikov, a book of poetry
 * Rikude Potash, a book of poetry
 * Arye Shamri, Funken fun tikun ("Sparks of Salvation")
 * Avrom Sutzkever, Di gaystike erd ("The Spiritual Soil")

Yiddish works published elsewhere

 * Efrayim Oyerbakh, Di vayse shtot ("The White City")
 * I. L. Kalushiner, a book of poetry
 * Yisroel Emiot, In nigun ayngehert ("Listening to the Melody")
 * David Sfard, A zegl in vint ("A Sail in the Wind") (Poland)

Other languages

 * Alexander Mezhirov, Ð’ÐµÑ‚Ñ€Ð¾Ð²Ð¾Ðµ ÑÑ‚ÐµÐºÐ»Ð¾ ("Windshield" or "Windscreen"), Russia, Soviet Union
 * Nizar Qabbani, My Beloved, Syrian poet writing in Arabic
 * Klaus Rifbjerg, Camouflage, Denmark

United Kingdom

 * Eric Gregory Award: Adrian Mitchell, Geoffrey Hill

United States

 * Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress (later the post would be called "Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress"): Louis Untermeyer appointed this year.
 * Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: Phyllis McGinley: Times Three: Selected Verse From Three Decades
 * Bollingen Prize: Yvor Winters
 * National Book Award for Poetry: Randall Jarrell, The Woman at the Washington Zoo
 * Fellowship of the Academy of American Poets: Horace Gregory

Other

 * Lenin Prize (Soviet Union): Alexander Tvardovsky for Za Dalyu dal ... ("Space Beyond Space")
 * Canada: Governor General's Award, poetry or drama: Acis in Oxford, Robert Finch

Births
Death years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:
 * May 2 – Lisa Bellear (died 2006), Australian indigenous poet
 * Also:
 * Gitaujali Badruddin
 * Chen Kehua, Chinese poet and ophthalmologist in Taiwan.
 * Denise Duhamel
 * Han Dong, Chinese
 * Steven Heighton, Canadian novelist and poet
 * Maggie Helwig, Canadian novelist and poet
 * Jackie Kay, Scottish poet and novelist
 * Swadesh Roy, Bengali journalist, essayist, poet, novelist and short-story writer
 * Sion Sono åœ’ å­æ¸©, Japanese controversial avant-garde poet and filmmaker

Deaths
Birth years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:
 * April 30 – Jessie Redmon Fauset (born 1885), novelist and poet
 * September 27 – Hilda Doolittle, aka "H.D.", 75, American poet, novelist and memoirist, of a heart attack
 * December 24 – Robert Hillyer, 66 (born 1895), American poet
 * date not known – Kenneth Fearing, 58, American poet and writer