1921 in poetry

— Wilfred Owen, concluding lines of Dulce et Decorum Est, published this year

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

Events

• Jorge Luis Borges, writer and poet, returns to Buenos Aires after a period living in Europe.
• Mrs. C.A. Dawson-Scott founds PEN, an international Association of Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists, and Novelists with John Galsworthy, who would become International PEN's first President; first members included Joseph Conrad, George Bernard Shaw, and H.G. Wells
• August 3 — Russian poet Nikolay Gumilyov's fate is sealed when he is arrested in the Soviet Union by the Cheka on charges of being a monarchist; on August 24 the Petrograd Cheka decrees execution of all 61 participants of the "Tagantsev Conspiracy", including Gumilyov. The exact dates and locations of their executions and burials are still unknown. He had divorced Russian poet Anna Akhmatova in 1918.

Works published in English

India in Indian poetry in English

• Sri Aurobindo, Love and Death, long poem about the triumph of love over death, concerning the Ruru-Priyumvada legend (somewhat like the Greek Orpheus-Eurydice and the Indian Satvitri-Satyavan myths) Indian poetry in English^[1]
• Toru Dutt, Life and Letters of Toru Dutt, London, Milford: Oxford University Press, Indian poet, writing in English, published in the United Kingdom^[2]
• Poets of John Company, Calcutta: Tahcker, Spink and Co., 134 pages; anthology; Indian poetry in English^[3]

United Kingdom

• Walter de la Mare, The Veil, and Other Poems^[4]
• Toru Dutt, Life and Letters of Toru Dutt, London, Milford: Oxford University Press, Indian poet, writing in English, published in the United Kingdom^[2]
• T. S. Eliot, The Metaphysical Poets, critical essay on the Metaphysical poets of the 16th and 17th centuries (text here)
• Robert Graves, The Pier-Glass^[4]
• D. H. Lawrence, Tortoises
• Vita Sackville-West, Orchard and Vineyard^[4]
• John Collings Squire, Collected Parodies
• Flora Thompson, Bog-Myrtle and Peat^[4]
• Wilfred Owen, Dulce et Decorum Est (written in 1917 and published posthumously); the 28-line poem's horrifying imagery made it one of the most popular condemnations of war ever written.
• W. B. Yeats, Irish author published in the United Kingdom:
  • Michael Robartes and the Dancer, includes "The Second Coming" and "A Prayer For My Daughter"
  • Four Plays for Dancers, adds "At the Hawk's Well" and "Calvary" to Two Plays for Dancers, published in 1919^[4]

Photograph of "H.D." (Hilda Doolittle), taken about this year

United States

• Conrad Aiken, Punch: The Immoratal Liar^[5]
• Sherwood Anderson, The Triumph of the Egg^[5]
• Hilda Doolittle (H.D.), Hymen^[5]
• John Gould Fletcher, Breakers and Granite^[5]
• Zona Gale, The Secret Way^[5]
• Amy Lowell, Legends^[5]
• Edna St. Vincent Millay, Second April^[5]
• Marianne Moore, Poems^[5]
• Ezra Pound, Poems 1918–1921, New York^[6]
• Charles Reznikoff, A Fourth Group of Verse
• Edward Arlington Robinson, Avon's Harvest^[5]
• William Carlos Williams, Sour Grapes
• Yvor Winters, The Immobile Wind^[5]
• Elinor Wylie, Nets to Catch the Wind^[5]

Other in English

• C. J. Dennis, A Book for Kids (reissued as Roundabout, 1935), Australia
• Patrick Joseph Hartigan, published under the pen name "Joseph O'Brien", Around the Boree Log and Other Verses, very popular Australian book of poetry which went into five editions and 18,000 copies by 1926; widely popularized across eastern Australia by recitations of John Byrne, praised in Ireland and the United States, made into a film in 1925, and 20 poems of the book were set to music in 1933; includes "Said Hanrahan", from which "We'll all be rooned" became an Australian catch phrase^[7]
• W. B. Yeats, Irish author published in the United Kingdom:
  • Michael Robartes and the Dancer, includes "The Second Coming" and "A Prayer For My Daughter"
  • Four Plays for Dancers, adds "At the Hawk's Well" and "Calvary" to Two Plays for Dancers, published in 1919^[4]

Works published in other languages

France

• Max Jacob, Le Laboratoire Central^[8]
• Francis Jammes:
  • Épitaphes, Paris: Librairie de l'Art catholic^[9]
  • Le Tombeau de Jean de la Fontaine, Paris: Mercure de France^[9]
• Pierre Reverdy, Étoiles peintes^[10]

Indian subcontinent

Vallathol Narayana Menon, whose Magdalana Mariyam was published this year

Including all of the British colonies that later became India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Listed alphabetically by first name, regardless of surname:

• Amir Minai, Mina-yi, Urdu-language^[1]
• Basavaraju Appa Rao, Basavaraju Appa Rao Gitalu, Telugu-language^[1]
• Dimbeshwar Neog, Malika, Assamese-language
• Govindagraj, Vagvaijayanti, 160 poems, including love poems and verses on social and mystic topics; with an introduction by N. C. Kelkar, Marathi-language^[1]
• Padmadhar Chaliha, Svaraj Sangit, Indian, Assamese-language^[1]
• Vallathol Narayana Menon, Magdalana Mariyam, a Malayalam khanda kavya about a repentant Mary consoled by Christ^[1]
• Vishvanatha Satyanarayana, Andhra paurusamu, Indian, Telugu-language, written in 1917 but printed in book form this year^[1]

Other languages

• Anna Akhmatova, Plantain, Russian
• H. Leivick, The Golem, "dramatic poem in eight scenes" (Yiddish)
• Federico García Lorca, Libro de poemas (Spanish for "Book of Poems")
• Nikolay Gumilyov, The Pillar of Fire, Russian

Births

Death years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article (Indian poets listed by first name, when listed alphabetically, whether or not it's a surname):

• January 7 – Chester Kallman, (died 1975) American poet, librettist, and translator best known for collaborations with Igor Stravinsky
• January 15 – Raymond Souster, Canadian poet
• March 1 – Richard Wilbur, American poet
• April 13 – Max Harris (died 1995), Australian poet, critic, columnist, commentator, publisher and bookseller
• May 9:
  • Mona Van Duyn, (died 2004), American poet
  • Daniel Berrigan, American poet
• August 31 – Hayden Carruth (died 2008), American poet and literary critic
• October 17 – George Mackay Brown, (died 1996), was a Scotts poet, author and dramatist

• Also:
  • Lex Banning (died 1965), Australianpoet born with cerebral palsy and unable to speak clearly or to write with a pen
  • Devarakonda Balagangadhara Tilak, Telugu-language poet and story writer
  • Divya Prabha Bharali, Indian, Assamese-language poet; a woman
  • James A. Emanuel, African American poet and scholar
  • Kathan Singh Jamal, Indian, Dogri-Pahadi-language poet
  • Khizar Maghribi, Indian writer of parodies and humorous verse in the Kashmiri language
  • Nan McDonald (died 1974), Australian poet and editor
  • Mangalacharan Chattopadhyay, Indian, Bengali-language Marxist poet
  • Parsram Rohra, (died 1981), Indian, Sindhi-language
  • Marie Ponsot, American poet, literary critic, essayist, teacher, and translator.
  • Ramkrishna Sharma (died 1986), Indian, Nepali-language critic, essayist, poet and short-story writer called the father of modern literary criticism in Nepali
  • Rasananda Sahu, Indian, Oriya poet and novelist
  • Shambhoo Nath Bhatt Haleem, Indian, Kashmiri-language poet and children's author
  • Sarachchandra Muktibodh (died 1984), Indian, Marathi-language poet and novelist
  • Shiv Kumar, Indian, Indian poetry in English
  • Shrikrishna Powale (died 1974), Indian, Marathi-language poet in the "Sthandil" Cult of Kusumagraj and Kant
  • Sugan Ahuja (died 1966), Indian, Sindhi-language poet and short-story writer
  • Dimitris Tsaloumas, Greek-born Australian poet who moved to Australia in 1952
  • Nanos Valaoritis, Greek poet, novelist and playwright

Deaths

Birth years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article (Indian poets listed by first name, when listed alphabetically, whether or not it's a surname):

• January 13 – Francis William Bourdillon, 68, British poet and translator
• May 26 – Donald Evans (born 1884), American poet, publisher, music critic and journalist
• June 18 – G. H. Gibson, "Ironbark" (born 1846), Australian
• August 7 – Alexander Blok, 60, Russian poet known for his lyrics
• circa August 26 – Nikolay Gumilyov, Russian poet and former husband of Russian poet Anna Akhmatova, is executed (see Events section, above)
• September 2 – Henry Austin Dobson, 61 (born1840), English poet and essayist
• September 13 – James Hebblethwaite (born 1857), English-born Australian poet, teacher and clergyman
• November 21 – Ernest Myers

• Also:
  • Rosa Mulholland, also known as Lady Gilbert, Irish novelist, short-story writer and poet^[4]
  • Akbar Allahabadi (born 1846), Indian, Urdu-language poet known for his satire
  • C. Subrahamania Bharati (born 1882), Indian, Tamil-language poet who also wrote Indian poetry in English
  • Va. Ba. Patavardhan (born 1870), Indian, Marathi-language critic and poet

Awards and honors

• Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: no award given

See also

Poetry portal

• Poetry
• List of years in poetry

Notes