Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Seamus Heaney

Role / Field:

Nobel Prize-winning Irish poet celebrated for its earthy language and deep connection to history.

Born:

1939-04-13

Died:

2013-08-30

Century / Era:

1939s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

Seamus Justin Heaney (13 April 1939 – 30 August 2013) was an Irish poet, playwright and translator. He received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature. Among his best-known works is Death of a Naturalist (1966), his first major published volume. American poet Robert Lowell described him as "the most important Irish poet since Yeats", and many others, including the academic John Sutherland, have said that he was "the greatest poet of our age".

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Robert Pinsky has stated that "with his wonderful gift of eye and ear Heaney has the gift of the story-teller." Upon his death in 2013, The Independent described him as "probably the best-known poet in the world". Heaney was born in the townland of Tamniaran, near Castledawson, Northern Ireland. His family moved to nearby Bellaghy when he was a boy. He became a lecturer at St. Joseph's College in Belfast in the early 1960s, after attending Queen's University, and began to have his poetry published.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

He lived in Sandymount, Dublin, from 1976 until his death. He was a part-time resident of the United States from 1981 to 2006, while he was a professor at Harvard from 1981 to 1997 and their Poet in Residence from 1988 to 2006. From 1989 to 1994, he was...

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• 1939 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1939
• April 13 (04-13) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on April 13
• 2013 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 2013
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Frequently Asked Questions about Seamus Heaney