411 REFERENCE · Wikipedia
1940 in poetry
Reference material by Wikipedia contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
none
1940 poetry literature
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature (for instance, Irish or France).
Events
January – English literary magazine Horizon is first published in London by Cyril Connolly, Peter Watson and Stephen Spender
June – French Resistance forms; poets who join include Louis Aragon, René Char, Robert Desnos, Paul Éluard, Francis Ponge, Jean Prévost and Jean-Pierre Rosnay
July 26 – Release of the movie adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice with English poet and writer Aldous Huxley as a screenwriter
English poet Basil Bunting joins the Royal Air Force and is eventually sent to Iran as an intelligence officer and translatorBasic Bunting - A Basic Chronology https://www.dur.ac.uk/basil-bunting-poetry.centre/basic.chronology/ Basil Bunting Poetry Centre Durham University 2012-05-21 2014-01-08
Russian poet Anna Akhmatova's collection From Six Books is published in the Soviet Union but publication is suspended shortly after release, copies pulped and remaining issues prohibitedhttp://www.caxtonclub.org/reading/2007/apr07.pdf Martin R. Eden Collecting Anna Akhmatova The Caxtonian 15 4 April 2007 Caxton Club 2018-01-19 9
American poet Louis Zukofsky finishes the first half of "A"
Works published in English
Listed by nation where the work was first published and again by the poet's native land, if different; works listed again if substantially revised:
India, in English
Mohendra Nath Dutt, Kurukshetra ( Poetry in English ), an epic; Calcutta: P. M. MukherjiVinayak Krishna Gokak, The Golden Treasury Of Indo-Anglian Poetry (1828-1965), p 319, New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi (1970, first edition; 2006 reprint), 81-260-1196-3, retrieved August 6, 2010
P. R. Kaikini, The Recruit ( Poetry in English ), Bombay: New Book Co.Vinayak Krishna Gokak, The Golden Treasury Of Indo-Anglian Poetry (1828-1965), p 322, New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi (1970, first edition; 2006 reprint), 81-260-1196-3, retrieved August 6, 2010
Manjeri Sundaraman, Catguts ( Poetry in English ), Madras: Hurley PressNaik, M. K., Perspectives on Indian poetry in English, p. 230, (published by Abhinav Publications, 1984, 0-391-03286-0, 978-0-391-03286-6), retrieved via Google Books, June 12, 2009
Canada
A. M. Klein, Hath Not a Jew.Roberts, Neil, editor, A Companion to Twentieth-century Poetry, Part III, Chapter 3, "Canadian Poetry", by Cynthia Messenger, Blackwell Publishing, 2003, 978-1-4051-1361-8, retrieved via Google Books, January 3, 2009
E. J. Pratt, Brebeuf and his Brethren, Toronto: Macmillan, 1940. Detroit: Basilian Press, 1942."Bibliography," Selected Poems of E. J. Pratt, Peter Buitenhuis ed., Toronto: Macmillan, 1968, 207-208. Governor General's Award 1940.
United Kingdom
W. H. Auden, English poet living at this time in the United States:
Another Time,Cox, Michael The Concise Oxford Chronology of English Literature Oxford University Press 2004 0-19-860634-6 https://archive.org/details/conciseoxfordchr00coxm including "September 1, 1939"
Some Poems
John Betjeman, Old Lights for New Chancels
Edmund Blunden, Poems 1930–1940
R. N. Currey, Tiresias
Cecil Day-Lewis:
translation, The Georgics of Virgil (see also his translations of The Aeneid of Virgil 1952 and The Eclogues of Virgil 1963)
Poems in Wartime
T. S. Eliot:
The Waste Land, and Other Poems, The Waste Land first published in 1923
East Coker, published in The New English Weekly, Easter Number; published in book form in June; republished in Four Quartets 1944
William Empson, The Gathering Storm
Roy Fuller, Poems
Robert Garioch (pen name of Robert Garioch Sutherland) and Sorley MacLean (also known as Somhairle MacGill-Eain), 17 Poems for 6d. in Gaelic, Lowland Scots and English
Rayner Heppenstall, Blind Men's Flowers are Green
Hugh MacDiarmid, editor, The Golden Treasury of Scottish Poetry
Louis MacNeice, The Last Ditch, including "The Coming of War" sequence, Northern Ireland poet published in Ireland
Alice Meynell (died 1922), The Poems of Alice Meynell, complete edition
R. F. Patterson, Mein Rant: a summary in light verse of "Mein Kampf"
William Plomer, Selected Poems
Francis Scarfe, Inscapes
Stephen Spender, Selected Poems
Dylan Thomas, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog
Henry Treece, 38 Poems
W. B. Yeats (died 1939), Last Poems and Plays
United States
Conrad Aiken, And in the Human HeartLudwig, Richard M., and Clifford A. Nault, Jr., Annals of American Literature: 1602–1983, 1986, New York: Oxford University Press
W. H. Auden, English poet living at this time in the United States:
Another Time, including the famous "September 1, 1939"
Some Poems
Leonard Bacon, Sunderland Capture
Stephen Vincent Benét, Nightmare at Noon
Witter Bynner, Against the Cold
John Ciardi, Homeward to America
E. E. Cummings, 50 Poems
Richard Eberhart, Song and Idea
Kenneth Fearing, Collected Poems
Robert Hayden, Heart-Shape in the Dust
Phyllis McGinley, A Pocketful of Wry
Edna St. Vincent Millay, Make Bright the Arrows
Ogden Nash, The Face is Familiar
Ezra Pound, Cantos LII–LXXI
Frederic Prokosch, Death at Sea
Kenneth Rexroth, In What Hour
Elizabeth Madox Roberts, Song in the Meadow
Other in English
E. H. McCormick, Letters and Art in New Zealand, scholarshipPreminger, 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, "History and Criticism" section, p 837
Ewart Milne, Letter from Ireland, Irish poet published in Ireland
Works published in other languages
Listed by nation where the work was first published and again by the poet's native land, if different; works listed again if substantially revised:
Bulgaria
Nikola Vaptsarov, „Моторни песни“ (Motor Songs)
France
Louis Aragon, Le Crève-cœurHartley, Anthony, editor, The Penguin Book of French Verse: 4: The Twentieth Century, page xv, Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1967
Paul Éluard, pen name of Eugène Grindel, Le Livre ouvert, published from this year to 1941
Pierre Reverdy, Plein VerreAuster, Paul, editor, The Random House Book of Twentieth-Century French Poetry: with translations by American and British Poets, New York: Random House, 1982 0-394-52197-8
Greece
Odysseus Elytis's first book, Orientations
Giorgos Seferis:
Τετράδιο Γυμνασμάτων ("Exercise Book")
Ημερολόγιο Καταστρώματος Ι ("Deck Diary I")
Indian subcontinent
Including all of the British colonies that later became India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka. Listed alphabetically by first name, regardless of surname:
Bengali
Premendra Mitra, SamratDas, Sisir Kumar, "A Chronology of Literary Events / 1911–1956", in Das, Sisir Kumar and various, History of Indian Literature: 1911-1956: struggle for freedom: triumph and tragedy, Volume 2, 1995, published by Sahitya Akademi, 978-81-7201-798-9, retrieved via Google Books on December 23, 2008
Rabindranath Tagore:
Nabajatak, with themes and images from urban and industrial life (such as radios, railways and airplanes), a sharp contrast to the rural and natural themes of traditional Bengali poetry
Rogsayyay, written during his illness and with many images of sickness and worry, but without despondency (see also Arogya 1941, called a "companion volume" with a contrasting mood)
Sanai, poems with a nostalgic tone
Chelebela, autobiography concerning the author's childhood
Samar Sen, Grahan o Anyana Kabita, Indian, Bengali-language
Subhash Mukhopadhyay, Padatik, poems reflecting Marxist ideology and politics in general, with a combination of lyricism and sloganeering; the consonance and speech-like rhythm of these poems became popular and influential in Bengali poetry
V. K. Gokak, also known as "Vinayaka", Samudra Gitagalu, poems about the potency and loveliness of the sea; the poems experiment with new diction and meters, including free verse
Hindi
Narendra Sharma, Palas Van, mostly sensuous poems of love and beauty
Ramadhari Singh Dinakar, Rasavanti
Ayodhya Singh Upadhyay, also known as "Hariandha", Vaidehi Vanavas, based on Sita's exile
Kannada
B. R. Bendre, also known as Ambikatanaya Datta, Sahitya Samsodhana, literary criticism on some older works of Kannada literature
Muliya Timmappayya, Navanita Ramayana, the Ramayana in ragale meter
S. V. Parameshwara Bhatt, Ragini, 28 love poems
Urdu
Muhiuddin Qadri Zor, Ruh-i tanqid, introduction to principles of Western literary criticism
Nasiruddin Hashmi, Khavatin-i Dakan Ki Urdu Khidmat, literary history on women Urdu writers from Deccan
Syed Mohammad Hasnain, Jauhar-i-Iqbal, literary criticism in Urdu on the poetry of Sir Muhammad Iqbal's Urdu poetry
Other Indian languages
Ahad Zargar, Tarana-e-Ahad Zargar, Sufistic ghazals and vatsans; Kashmiri
Dimbeshwar Neog, Asamiya Sahityar Buranjit Bhumuki, a comprehensive review of early Assamese literature; criticism
K. V. Jaganathan, Tamilkkavyankal, literary history of Tamil epics, compared to the traditions of Sanskrit poetry and world literature
Kavi Nhanalal, Kuruksetra, final part of a 12-canto, Gujarati epic about the war of the Mahabharat, written in poetic prose, interspersed with songs (first canto published 1926)
Maiyilai Seeni Venkataswamy, Pauttamum Tamilum, literary history on the influence of Buddhism on Tamil culture and literature
N. M. Sant and Indira Sant, a poet and couple publishing together; N. M. Sant's poems show influences from Madhav Julian, Indira Sant's reflect folklore; Marathi
Prahlad Parekh, Bari Bahar, called a "milestone in the history of Gujarati poetry of the post-Gandhian era" by Indian academic Siser Kumar Das
Sankarambadi Sundarachari, te Ma Telugu talliki malle pudanda, popular "prayer song" in Andhra, originally written for a film that was never completed, a record of the song was published, and its popularity led the government of Andhra Pradesh to declare it a prayer song to be sung along with Vandemataram
Spanish language
Spain
Gerardo Diego, Angeles de Compostela ("Angels of Compostela"), 42 sonnets on diverse topicsDebicki, Andrew P., Spanish Poetry of the Twentieth Century: Modernity and Beyond, University Press of Kentucky, 1995, 978-0-8131-0835-3, retrieved via Google Books, November 21, 2009
Federico García Lorca (killed 1936), Poeta en Nueva York ("A Poet in New York"), written in 1930 (first translation into English in 1988)
Dionisio Ridruejo, Poesía en armas ("Poetry in Arms")
Other in Spanish
César Vallejo (died 1938), España, aparta de mí este cáliz ("Spain, Take This Cup from Me"Web page titled "César Vallejo" at the website of the Academy of American Poets, retrieved August 28, 2011), Peruvian poet published in Mexico after the first attempt at publication was interrupted during the Spanish Civil War and all copies lost (that edition was printed by soldiers of the Army of the East, on paper they themselves had made)Fitts, Dudley, editor, Anthology of Contemporary Latin-American Poetry/Antología de la Poesía Americana Contemporánea Norfolk, Conn., New Directions, (also London: The Falcoln Press, but this book was "Printed in U.S.A.), 1947, p 645
José Varallanos, Elegia en el mundo, PeruvianFitts, Dudley, editor, Anthology of Contemporary Latin-American Poetry/Antología de la Poesía Americana Contemporánea Norfolk, Conn., New Directions, (also London: The Falcoln Press, but this book was "Printed in U.S.A.), 1947, p 635
Awards and honors
Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: Mark Van Doren: Collected Poems
King's Gold Medal for Poetry: Michael Thwaites
Governor General's Award, poetry or drama: Brébeuf and his Brethren, E. J. Pratt "Cumulative List of Winners of the Governor General's Literary Awards https://web.archive.org/web/20120401150854/http://www.canadacouncil.ca/NR/rdonlyres/E22B9A3C-5906-41B8-B39C-F91F58B3FD70/0/cumulativewinners2010rev.pdf 2012-04-01 ", Canada Council. Web, Feb. 10, 2011.
Births
Death years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:
January 17 – Oswald Mbuyiseni Mtshali, South African poet
January 30 – Sterling D. Plumpp, African-American
February 9 – Seamus Deane (died 2021), Irish poet, novelist and academic
March 23 – Ama Ata Aidoo (died 2023), Ghanaian author, poet and playwright
April 11 – Emmanuel Hocquard (died 2019), French
April 16 – Rolf Dieter Brinkmann (died 1975), German
April 25 – Peter Wild (died 2009), American poet and historian, professor at the University of Arizona in Tucson
May 7 – Angela Carter, née Stalker (died 1992), English magic realist novelist and poet
May 20 – Ahmadreza Ahmadi (died 2023), Iranian poet and screenwriter
May 24 – Joseph Brodsky, born Iosif Aleksandrovich Brodsky (died 1996), Russian-born American poet and essayist, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature (1987) and Poet Laureate of the United States (1991–1992)
June 13 – David Budbill (died 2016), American poet and playwright
June 23 – Amal Abul-Qassem Donqol (died 1983), Egyptian Arabic poet
August 14 – Judith Kazantzis, née Pakenham (died 2018), English poet and activist
September 2 – Harry Northup, American poet and actor
September 8 – Jack Prelutsky, American poet noted for children's poems
September 10 – John Curl, American poet, memoirist, translator, author, activist and historian
October 11 – David McFadden (died 2018), Canadian poet and travel writer
October 15 – Fanny Howe, American poet, novelist and short story writer and recipient of the 2009 Ruth Lilly Poetry PrizeFanny Howe and Ange Mlinko Receive Major Literary Awards from Poetry Foundation. https://web.archive.org/web/20090421023041/http://www.poetryfoundation.org/foundation/release_041409.html 2009-04-21 Howe received $100,000.
October 20 – Robert Pinsky, American poet and Poet Laureate of the United States (1997–2000)
November 1 – William Heyen, American poet, editor and literary critic
November 5 – Dmitri Prigov (died 2007), Russian poet
November 19 – Peter Cooley, American poet and academic
December 14 – Carolyn Rodgers (died 2010), American poet, leading participant of the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s and founder of one of the country's oldest and largest black-owned book publishershttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/13/carolyn-m-rodgers-dead-at_n_536569.html Huffington Post Carolyn M. Rodgers Dead At 69, Chicago Poet And Writer Helped Found Black Press 2010-04-13
December 21
Kelly Cherry, American writer
Rolf Sagen (died 2017), Norwegian writer
Also:
Martha Collins, American
Michael Jackson, New Zealand anthropologist and poet
Paul Mariani, American poet and academic
Pattiann Rogers, American poet
Andrew Waterman (died 2022), English poet and academic
Deaths
Birth years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:
January 5 – Humbert Wolfe (born 1885), British poet and epigrammist
March 4 – Hamlin Garland (born 1860), American novelist, poet, essayist and short story writer
March 7 – Edwin Markham (born 1852), American poet
March 23 – Minakami Takitarō 水上滝太郎 pen name of Abe Shōzō (born 1887), Shōwa period Japanese poet, novelist, literary critic and essayist (surname: Minakami)
May 18 – Jacob Hiegentlich (born 1907), gay Dutch Jewish writer who also wrote poetry in German, suicide
June 21 – Hendrik Marsman (born 1899), Dutch poet (died in sinking of SS Berenice)
August 21 – Ernest Thayer (born 1863), American writer and poet who wrote "Casey at the Bat"
September 26 – W. H. Davies (born 1871), Welsh-born poet and writer who spent most of his life as a tramp in the United States and United Kingdom, but became known as one of the most popular poets of his time
October 11 – Taneda Santōka 種田 山頭火 pen name of Taneda Shōichi 種田 正 (born 1882), Japanese author and haiku poet (surname: Taneda)
December 27 – Ella Rhoads Higginson (born 1862), American poet
See also
Poetry
Poetry
List of poetry awards
List of years in poetry
Notes
Category:20th-century poetry
*