March 5: a car bomb was exploded on Mutanabbi Street in Baghdad. More than 30 people were killed and more than 100 were wounded. This locale is the historic center of Baghdad bookselling, a winding street filled with bookstores and outdoor book stalls. Named after the famed 10th century classical Arab poet, Al-Mutanabbi, it was an established street for bookselling for hundreds of years and the heart and soul of the Baghdad literary and intellectual community. On March 8, to remember the tragic event, Baghdad poets presented readings on the remains of the street.[1] This was followed by various poetry readings around the United States commemorating the bombing of the historic center of the literary and intellectual community of Baghdad, many of the readings took place in the final weeks of August 2007.[2]
April 17: Nikki Giovanni, a professor of English at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the US state of Virginia, both spoke and recited poetry at the campus convocation commemorating the Virginia Tech massacre of the day before. Giovanni taught the Virginia Tech shooter Seung-Hui Cho in a poetry class. She had previously approached the department chair to have Cho taken out of her class.[3] "We are the Hokies! We will prevail! We will prevail! We are Virginia Tech!" Giovanni said, bringing the audience to its feet and into a spontaneous cheer. Giovanni closed the ceremony with a chant poem, intoning, "We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We are not moving on. We are embracing our mourning. We are Virginia Tech... We do not understand this tragedy... No one deserves a tragedy."[3]
August 9: Bangladeshi poet Taslima Nasreen was attacked at a book signing in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh by a crowd of protesters who shouted for her death.[4] The attackers consisted of lawmakers and members of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen party who objected to her writings on religion and oppression of women. After the attack, India criminally charged Nasreen with "hurting Muslim feelings", punishable by up to three years in jail.[5]
The New Yorker magazine announced that longtime poetry editor Alice Quinn was leaving and, as of November, Paul Muldoon, an Irish native and U.S. citizen, would be taking over what The Chronicle of Higher Education called "one of the most powerful positions in American poetry".[6]
Scottish poet Alastair Reid read his poem "Scotland" publicly for the last time at a literary festival in St Andrews, then burned the manuscript.[7]
The Eagles set "An Old-Fashioned Song", a poem by John Hollander, to music (four-part harmony with guitar chords, but mostly singing it a cappella), named it "No More Walks in the Wood" after its first line. They released it on the album, "Long Road Out of Eden". The band added no words to the 21-line poem, and there are no choruses.[8]
In Russia, the expert board for the Bunin Prize for poetry dissolved itself amid reports of interference and pressure from sponsors. A new expert board was formed and the jury awarded the prize to Andrei Dementyev.[9]
Patrick Cotter general editor, Colm Breathnach and Maurice Riordan 2007 editors, The Best of Irish Poetry 2007 designed to be the first of an annual series.
Paul Durcan, The Laughter of Mothers, (Harvill Secker)
Peter Fallon, The Company of Horses, Oldcastle: The Gallery Press, ISBN 978-1-85235-424-4
Michele Leggott, Journey to Portugal (Holloway Press) a collection of poems written during a 2004 trip to Portugal and inspired by Fernando Pessoa, Portugal's great Modernist poet. Illustrated by Gretchen Albrecht.
Paula Green, Making Lists for Francis Hodgkins, Auckland University Press
Kay McKenzie Cooke, Made for Weather: Poems by Kay McKenzie Cooke, Otago University Press
Mary Jo Bang, Elegy, Graywolf, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award
Roger Bonair-Agard, Tarnish and Masquerade (Cypher Books, Rattapallax Press)
Yosa Buson (1716–1783), Haiku Master Buson, translated from the Japanese by Edith Shiffert and (posthumous) Yuki Sawa, University of Washington Press, ISBN 978-1-893996-81-6; claimed by the publisher to be "the only translation of the work of this important haiku poet in English"
Pierre Joris, Meditations on the Stations of Mansour Al-Halla, 1 – 21, (Anchorite Press, Albany, NY)
James Browning Kepple, Kim Göransson, Couplet (pretend genius [press]) ISBN 9780977852697
Henia Karmel and Ilona Karmel, A Wall of Two: Poems of Resistance and Suffering from Kraków to Buchenwald and Beyond, adapted by Fanny Howe, University of California Press
X. J. Kennedy, In a Prominent Bar in Secaucus: New & Selected Poems 1955–2007, Johns Hopkins University Press
Ann E. Mullaney, translator, Teofilo Folengo (1491–1544), Baldo, Volume 1, Books I-XII, translated from a blend of Latin and various Italian dialects (Harvard University Press), posthumous
Michael O'Brien, Sleeping and Waking, Flood, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award
George Oppen, Selected Prose, Daybooks, and Papers (edited by Stephen Cope), University of California Press, 2007 (publication was 2007, but not available until 2008)
Palle Sigsgaard, Glitrende støv danser ("Glittering Dust Dances"), a short collection[17]
Peter Christensen Teilmann, Friværdi ("Equity")[17]
French languageedit
Franceedit
Guillaume Apollinaire, Je pense à toi mon Lou ("I Think of You My Lou"), publisher: Textuel; writings published for the first time
Seyhmus Dagtekin, Juste un pont sans feu, publisher: Le Castor astral
Emily Dickinson, Car l'adieu, c'est la nuit, translated from the original English by Claire Malroux, based on the Johnson edition; Gallimard/NRF
Claude Esteban, La Mort à distance ("Death at a Distance"), published posthumously, publisher: Gallimard
Louise Gaggini, Les Enfants sont la mémoire des hommes ("Children Are the Memory of Men"), publisher: Multitudes, a poetic tale for the benefit of UNICEF
Jean Grosjean, Arpèges et paraboles, ("Arpège and parables"), publisher: Gallimard
Abdellatif Laabi, Mon cher double, La Différence, coll. Clepsydre, Paris, Moroccan author writing in French and published in France
Anthologies published in Franceedit
L'Année poétique 2007 ("The Poetry Year 2007"), publisher: Seghers; 125 contemporary poems; anthology
Jean Orizet, editor, Anthologie de la poésie française ("Anthology of French Poetry"), publisher: Larousse, anthology
Christian Poslianec, editor, Duos d'amour, ("Love Duets"), publisher: Seghers, anthology of love poems
Canada, in Frenchedit
Jacques Allard, editor, Le Bonheur des poètes, publisher: Écrits des Forges, contemporary poetry anthology[18]
Christoph Buchwald, series editor, 25. Jahrbuch der Lyrik: Die schönsten Gedichte aus 25 Jahren ("25. Yearbook of Poetry: The most beautiful poems from 25 years"); Frankfurt: Fischer (S.), 410 pages, ISBN 978-3-10-009653-1, an anthology
Hendrik Jackson, Im Innern der zerbrechenden Schale. Poetik und Pastichen ("Inside the crumbling shell: Poetics and pastiche"), Kookbooks, 144 pages, ISBN 978-3-937445-24-3; Germany
Gagan Gill, translator, Devadoot Ki Bajay Kuchh Bhi, poems by Zbigniew Herbert, edited and translated into Hindi from the original Polish; Remadhav Publications, New Delhi, 2007[25]
Qaysar Aminpur, Dastur-i zaban-i eshq (“A Grammar of Love”), the best-selling poetry book this year in Iran[9]
Mahmud Darwish, La uridu li-hadhi al-qasidah an tantahi ("I Do Not Want This Poem to End"), published posthumously; Arabian, Egypt[33]
Sheida Mohamadi, Aks-e fowri-ye 'eshq-bazi ("A Snapshot of Love-Making"), a (Los Angeles) United States-based author published this year in Tehran, Iran; Persian[34]
Suzan 'Ulaywan, Bayt min sukkar, ("A House Made of Sugar"), Arabic[9]
International, in the English Language: Charles Wright, Scar Tissue; and **"Lifetime Recognition Award" (presented by the Griffin trustees) to Tomas Tranströmer
International shortlist: Paul Farley, Tramp in Flames (Picador); Rodney Jones, Salvation Blues (Houghton Mifflin); Frederick Seidel, Ooga Booga (Farrar, Straus, Giroux)
Jessie Mackay Best First Book of Poetry: Airini BeautraisSecret Heart. Victoria University Press
United Kingdomedit
Costa Award (formerly the Whitbread Awards) for poetry : John Haynes (poet), Letter to Patience (Seren, 2006), a book-length poem; (Judges: Elaine Feinstein, Jeremy Noel-Tod and Deryn Rees-Jones)
November 17? – Landis Everson, 81, American poet, had a loose affiliation with the Berkeley Renaissance via his association with Jack Spicer's circle of poets. Everson's work was "rediscovered" only a few years before his death.
^::Arc Poetry::Portage link::Mutanabbi Street Memorial Reading:: Archived October 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
^ ab"Killer's manifesto: 'You forced me into a corner'". CNN. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved September 28, 2007.
^Taslima Nasreen, Poet, Attacked in India: Men Attack Her; Other Men Try to Sheild (sic) Her Archived November 7, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
^"India to charge writer Nasreen with 'hurting Muslim feelings'". CBC News. August 14, 2007. Retrieved August 16, 2007.
^[1] Howard, Jennifer, "New Gatekeeper of Poetry at 'The New Yorker' Will Be Princeton Professor" item on the "News blog" of The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 21, 2007. Retrieved October 6, 2007. "New Gatekeeper of Poetry at 'The New Yorker' Will Be Princeton Professor". Chronicle.com. Archived from the original on February 24, 2009. Retrieved October 7, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^Baker, Kenneth (2016). On the Burning of Books. London: Unicorn. pp. 206–7. ISBN 978-1-910787-11-3.
^Boynton, Cynthia Wolfe, "Venerable Poet's Words To a Pop Music Beat", article, The New York Times, Connecticut and the Region section, February 10, 2008, p 6
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwx"Literature" article, with numerous pages by different authors on literature in various nations and languages, Britannica Book of the Year 2007, published by Encyclopædia Britannica, 2008, online version retrieved January 14, 2009
^"Dennis Lee: Publications Archived April 9, 2011, at the Wayback Machine," Canadian Poetry Online, UToronto.ca, Web, Apr. 19, 2011.
^Web page titled "Dilip Chitre" Archived February 14, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Poetry International website. Retrieved July 6, 2010.
^Joshi, Manju (December 2007). "Words of wisdom". The Tribune. India. Retrieved January 1, 2009.
^Web page titled "C. P. Surendran" Archived April 6, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Poetry International website. Retrieved July 6, 2010.
^"Publications" Web page at Pat Boran's Web site, accessed May 2
^Robinson, Roger and Wattie, Nelson, The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature, 1998, "Janet Charman" article
^ abO’Reilly, Elizabeth (either author of the "Critical Perspective" section or of the entire contents of the web page, titled "Carol Ann Duffy"at Contemporary Poets website, retrieved May 4, 2009. May 8, 2009.
^ abcdefghijkvan der Liet, Henk, translated by Russell Dees, "Images, Sounds and the Return of the Divine? Some Forays into Danish Poetry 2007" Archived July 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Danish Poetry Magazine, Spring 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
^Web page titled "Jacques Allard" Archived July 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine at L’Académie des lettres du Québec website (in French). Retrieved October 20, 2010.
^Web page about Katerina Iliopoulou Archived October 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine at the Greek Poetry Now website. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
^Web page about Patricia Kolaiti Archived October 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine at the Greek Poetry Now website. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
^Web page about Giorgos Hantzis Archived October 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine at the Greek Poetry Now website. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
^Web page titled "K. G. Sankara Pillai" Archived August 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Poetry International website. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
^ abWeb page titled "Raghavan Atholi" Archived February 4, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Poetry International website. Retrieved July 25, 2010.
^Web page titled "Veerankutty" Archived April 6, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Poetry International website. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
^Web page titled "Gagan Gill" Archived September 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine at the "Poetry International" website. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
^Web page titled "Mamta Sagar" Archived February 2, 2010, at the Wayback Machine at the Poetry International website. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
^Web page title "Mithu Sen" Archived February 8, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, at the Poetry International website. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
^Web page titled "Rituraj" Archived April 6, 2012, at the Wayback Machine at the "Poetry International" website. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
^Web pages titled "Lipska Ewa" (in English Archived September 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine and Polish Archived July 18, 2011, at the Wayback Machine), at the Instytut Książki ("Books Institute") website , "Bibliography" sections. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
^Web pages titled "Tadeusz Rozewicz" (in English Archived March 3, 2012, at the Wayback Machine and Polish Archived July 18, 2011, at the Wayback Machine), at the Instytut Książki ("Books Institute") website , "Bibliography" sections. Retrieved February 28, 2010.
^Web page titled "Tomasz Różycki", at Culture.pl website. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
^"globeandmail.com: Arts". Globe and Mail. Toronto, Canada. Archived from the original on September 6, 2008. Retrieved March 24, 2007.
^Topic Galleries – themorningcall.com[permanent dead link]
^"Pulitzer Prize-winning Connecticut poet dies". The Boston Globe. May 31, 2007. Retrieved June 27, 2007.
^Marquard, Bryan (May 31, 2007). "Sarah Hannah, 40; teacher, poet known for incisiveness, fervence". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on June 4, 2007. Retrieved June 5, 2007.
^"Remembering Poet and Translator Michael Hamburger – Forward.com"
^"Featured Articles From the Los Angeles Times". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 28, 2007.[dead link]
^San Jose Mercury News – Mary Ellen Solt, 86, poet
^Blast Kills Iraqi Peace Poet Archived September 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
^"Sandy Crimmins / Poet, performer, 55". www.philly.com. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007.
^"Australian poet, Noel Rowe dies" Archived December 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Poetry International website, ("Sydney poet, Noel Rowe died on July 11 after a long illness"). Retrieved December 21, 2008.
^"Featured Articles From the Los Angeles Times". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 22, 2007.[dead link]
^"Topic Galleries". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved July 22, 2007.
^"Canadian poet Margaret Avison dies at 89". CBC News. August 10, 2007. Archived from the original on August 19, 2007. Retrieved August 23, 2007.
^Cox, Peter; Geller, Andy (August 16, 2007). "Top N.Y. Poet Kills Self". New York Post. Archived from the original on August 21, 2007. Retrieved August 16, 2007.
^Veteran poet Khalid Alig passes away -DAWN – Top Stories; August 16, 2007
^Italie, Hillel (August 23, 2007). "Acclaimed Writer Grace Paley Dies at 84". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
^"Never forgotten", page 2, web page at the Western and Cowboy Poetry at the Bar D Ranch" website of the Center for Western and Cowboy Poetry Inc.. Retrieved December 21, 2008.
^"He was a friend of poets..." from poet Pierre Joris's weblog [dead link]
^Sail, Lawrence (November 5, 2007). "James Michie". The Guardian. London. Retrieved November 30, 2008.
^Fox, Margalit (November 25, 2007). "Paul Roche, Poet in Bloomsbury Group, Is Dead at 91". The New York Times. Retrieved December 22, 2008.
^Gray, Sadie (December 18, 2007). "Jaleh Esfahani". The Times. London. Retrieved January 14, 2009.
^Fox, Margalit (December 17, 2007). "Diane Wood Middlebrook, Biographer, Dies at 68". The New York Times. Retrieved December 10, 2008.