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

• March 4 —Ronald Reagan,President of the United States, publicly recites from memory lines fromRobert W. Service'sThe Cremation of Sam McGee (1907)
• December 18 — Pforzheimer Collection of the works ofPercy Bysshe Shelley and his circle donated to theNew York Public Library
• John Montague becomes the first occupant of the Ireland Chair of Poetry
• DissidentRussian poetDmitri Prigov is arrested by theK.G.B for distributing hissamizdat poetry and briefly confined in apsychiatric hospital before being freed after protests by other poets such asBella Akhmadulina^[1]
• New American Writing, an annual literary magazine concentrating on poetry, is founded inChicago
• English poetWendy Cope'sMaking Cocoa for Kingsley Amis is a best-seller

Listed by nation where the work was first published and again by the poet's native land, if different; substantially revised works listed separately:

• Don Domanski,HammerstrokeCanada
• Louis Dudek,Zembla's Rocks. Montreal: Véhicule Press, 1986.^[2]
• Archibald Lampman,The Story of an Affinity, D.M.R. Bentley ed. (London, ON: Canadian Poetry Press).ISBN 978-0-921243-00-7
• Irving Layton,Dance With Desire: Love Poems. Toronto:McClelland & Stewart.^[3]
• Dennis Lee, editor,The New Canadian Poets (anthology)^[4]
• Dorothy Livesay,The Self-Completing Tree: Selected Poems. Victoria: Porcepic.^[5]
• Gwendolyn MacEwen,The Man with Three Violins.^[6] HMS Press (Toronto)ISBN 0-919957-83-8
• Anne Marriott,Letters from Some Island: New Poems, Oakville, ON: Mosaic Press.^[7]
• Michael Ondaatje:
  • All along the Mazinaw: Two Poems (broadside),Canadian published in theUnited States;Milwaukie: Woodland Pattern^[8]
  • Two Poems, Woodland Pattern,Milwaukie^[8]
• Raymond Souster,It Takes All Kinds. Ottawa: Oberon Press,^[9]
• Wilfred Watson,Collected Poems (introduction byThomas Peacocke)^[10]

• Jayanta Mahapatra,Dispossessed Nests ( Poetry inEnglish ),Jaipur: Nirala Publications^[11]
• Vikram Seth,The Golden Gate: A Novel in Verse
• Suniti Namjoshi,Flesh and Paper, (with Gillian Hanscombe), Jezebel Tapes and Books, Devon,ISBN 1-870240-00-6 and Ragweed,ISBN 0-920304-64-8^[12]
• V. K. Gokak, editor,The Golden Treasury of Indo-Anglian Poetry,New Delhi: Sahitya Academy; anthology^[13]
• Niranjan Mohanty, editor,The Golden Voices: Poets from Orissa Writing in English, Berhampur University: Poetry Publications; anthology^[14]

• Eavan Boland,The Journey, and Other Poems,^[15]Irish poet published in theUnited Kingdom
• Dermot Bolger,Internal Exiles
• Seamus Heaney,Clearances, Cornamona Press, Northern Irish native at this time living in theUnited States
• Alan Moore (poet)Opia,Anvil Press Poetry,ISBN 0-85646-161-X,Irish poet published in theUnited Kingdom
• Paul Muldoon,Selected Poems 1968–1983, including "Lunch with Pancho Villa", "Cuba", "Anseo", "Gathering Mushrooms", "The More a Man Has the More a Man Wants", Faber and Faber, Irish poet published in theUnited Kingdom^[16]
• Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin:The Second Voyage, Dublin: The Gallery Press^[17]
• Frank Ormsby,A Northern Spring, including "Home", Oldcastle: The Gallery Press^[16]
• James Simmons,Poems 1956–1986, including "One of the Boys", "West Strand Visions" and "From the Irish", Oldcastle: The Gallery Press^[16]

• Fleur Adcock (New Zealand poet who moved to England in1963):
  • Hotspur: a ballad, Newcastle upon Tyne: Bloodaxe Books (New Zealand poet who moved to England in1963)^[18]
  • The Incident Book, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press^[18]
• Alan Brunton,New Order, New York:Red Mole, work by a New Zealand poet in theUnited States^[19]
• Allen Curnow,The Loop in Lone Kauri Road: Poems 1983–1985^[20]
• Lauris Edmond,Seasons and Creatures^[21]
• Cilla McQueen,Wild Sweets^[22]
• Les Murray, editor,Anthology of Australian Religious Poetry, Melbourne, Collins Dove (new edition, 1991)^[23]
• Norman Simms,Silence and Invisibility: A Study of the New Literature from the Pacific, Australia, and New Zealand, scholarship^[24]

• Dannie Abse,Ask the Bloody Horse^[15]
• Fleur Adcock (New Zealand poet who moved to England in1963):
  • The Incident Book, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press^[18]
  • Selected Poems, Oxford and New York : Oxford University Press^[18]
• Eavan Boland,The Journey, and Other Poems,^[15]Irish poet published in the United Kingdom
• Charles Causley,Early in the Morning^[15]
• Jack Clemo,A Different Drummer^[15]
• Tony Connor,Spirits of Place^[15]
• Wendy Cope,Making Cocoa forKingsley Amis^[15]
• Kevin Crossley-Holland,Waterslain^[15]
• Carol Ann Duffy,Thrown Voices^[15]
• Helen Dunmore,The Sea Skater^[15]
• Elaine Feinstein,Badlands,^[15] Hutchinson
• Roy Fuller,Outside the Canon^[15]
• Seamus Heaney:Clearances, Cornamona Press, NorthernIreland native at this time living in the United States
• Adrian Henri,Collected Poems^[15]
• Ted Hughes,Flowers and Insects
• George MacBeth,The Cleaver Garden^[15]
• Edwin Morgan,From the Video Box^[15]
• Grace Nichols,Whole of a Morning Sky^[15]
• Fiona Pitt-Kethley,Sky Ray Lolly^[15]
• Peter Reading,Stet^[15]
• E. J. Scovell,Listening to Collared Doves^[15]
• Penelope Shuttle,The Lion From Rio^[15]
• Jon Silkin,The Ship's Pasture^[15]
• John Stallworthy,The Anzac Sonata^[15]
• R.S. Thomas,Experimenting with an Amen^[15]
• Abdullah al-Udhari, editor and translator,Modern Poetry of the Arab World, Penguin, anthology

• A.R. Ammons,The Selected Poems: Expanded Edition
• Ralph Angel,Anxious Latitudes
• Gwendolyn Brooks,The Near-Johannesburg Boy and Other Poems
• Alan Brunton,New Order, New York:Red Mole, work by aNew Zealand poet in the United States^[19]
• Raymond Carver,Ultramarine
• Henri Cole,The Marble Queen
• Lawrence Ferlinghetti,Over All the Obscene Boundaries
• Alice Fulton,Palladium
• Marilyn Hacker,Love, Death and the Changing of the Seasons
• Seamus Heaney:Clearances, Cornamona Press, Northern Ireland native at this time living in the United States
• John Hollander,In Time and Place
• Paul Hoover,Nervous Songs, (L'Epervier Press)
• Jane Kenyon,The Boat of Quiet Hours
• Li-Young Lee,Rose
• Mary Oliver,Dream Work
• Michael Ondaatje:
  • All along the Mazinaw: Two Poems (broadside),Canadian published in theUnited States;Milwaukie: Woodland Pattern^[8]
  • Two Poems, Woodland Pattern,Milwaukie^[8]
• Carl Rakosi,Collected Poems published by the National Poetry Foundation
• Vikram Seth,The Golden Gate: A Novel in Verse
• Rosmarie Waldrop,Streets Enough to Welcome Snow (Station Hill)

• Philip Dacey andDavid Jauss, editors of theNew Formalist anthology,Strong Measures: Contemporary American Poetry in Traditional Forms
• Ron Silliman, editor,In the American Tree, anthology ofLanguage poets

• Paula Burnett,Penguin Book ofCaribbean Verse, anthology^[25]
• Derek Walcott,Collected Poems,^[25]St. Lucia native living in theUnited States

• Jørgen Gustava Brandt,Giv dagen dit lys ("Give the Day Your Light")^[26]
• Niels Frank,Digte i kim,Denmark^[27]
• Christian Graugaard,Kan jeg købe dine øjnes blå dans ("Can I Buy Your Eyes Blue Dance")^[28]

• Kama Sywor Kamanda,Chants de brumes,Congo native writing inFrench
• Abdellatif Laabi,L'Écorché vif. L'Harmattan, Paris,Moroccan author writing in and published inFrance
• Jean Royer,Le chemin brûlé, Montréal: l'Hexagone;Canada^[29]
• Marie Uguay,Poèmes (containsSigne et rumeur,L'Outre-vie, andAutoportraits) French-Canada (posthumously published)

Listed in alphabetical order by first name:

• Nirendranath Chakravarti,Jabotiyo Bhalobashabashi, Kolkata: Proma Prokashoni;Bengali-language^[30]
• Rajendra Bhandari,Yee shabdaharu: yee harafharu ("These Words: These Lines"), Gangtok, Sikkim: Jana Paksha Prakashan;Nepali-language^[31]
• Sitanshu Yashaschandra,Jatayu, Mumbai and Ahmedabad: R R Sheth & Co.;Gujarati-language^[32]
• Namdeo Dhasal,Gandu BagichaMarathi-language^[33]
• Varavara Rao (better known as "VV"),Bhavishyathu Chitrapatam orBhavishyattu Chitrapatam ("Portrait of the Future"), Vijayawada: Vijayakrishna Printers;Telugu-language^[34]
• Mehr Lal Soni Zia Fatehabadi,Naram garam hawain (The soft Warm Air) - published posthumously by R.K.Sehgal, Bazm-e-Seemab, J 5/21, Rajouri Garden, New Delhi.

• Stanisław Barańczak,Atlantyda i inne wiersze z lat 1981-85 ("Atlantis and Other Poems"), London: Puls^[35]
• Juliusz Erazm Bolek,Nago^[36]
• Ernest Bryll,Adwent ("Advent"), London^[37]
• Ewa Lipska,Utwory wybrane ("Selected Work"), Kraków: Wydawnictwo literackie^[38]
• Bronisław Maj:
  • Album rodzinny ("Family Album"); Cracow: Oficyna Literacka^[39]
  • Zaglada świętego miasta ("Destruction of the Holy City"); London: Puls^[39]
  • Zmęczenie ("Fatigue"); Cracow: Znak^[39]
• Piotr Sommer,Czynnik liryczny^[40]
• Jan Twardowski,Nie przyszedłem pana nawracać. Wiersze z lat 1937- 1985 ("I Did Not Come to Convert You: Poems From the Years 1937-1985"), Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Archidiecezji Warszawskiej^[41]

• Mario Benedetti,Preguntas al azar ("Random Questions"),Uruguay^[42]
• Christoph Buchwald, general editor, andElke Erb, guest editor,Luchterhand Jahrbuch der Lyrik 1986 ("Luchterhand Poetry Yearbook 1986"), publisher:Luchterhand Literaturverlag; anthology^[43]
• Matilde Camus,Sin teclado de fiebre ("Without a fever keyboard"),Spain
• Osman Durrani, editor,German Poetry of the Romantic Era (with poetry inGerman), anthology, Leamington Spa, England: Oswald, Wolf and Berg (publisher)^[44]
• Jon Fosse,Engel med vatn i augene,Norway
• Nizar Qabbani,Poems Inciting Anger,Syrian poet writing inArabic
• Maria Luisa Spaziani,La stella del libero arbitrio,Italy
• Wisława Szymborska:Ludzie na moście ("People on the Bridge"),Poland
• Andrei Voznesensky,The Ditch: A Spiritual Trial, prose and poetry primarily about a 1941 German massacre of 12,000 Russians in the Crimea and the looting of their mass graves in the 1980s by Soviet citizens. Addressing a topic long suppressed by the Soviet government, the work made clear that most of the victims were Jews, and it implied this was why Soviet authorities tolerated the grave robbing.Russian-language work published in the Soviet Union.^[45]
• Wang Xiaoni,Wode shixuan ("My Selected Poems"),China^[46]

• C. J. Dennis Prize for Poetry:Rhyll McMaster,Washing the Money andJohn A. Scott,St. Clair
• Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry:Robert GraySelected Poems 1963-83
• Mary Gilmore Prize:Stephen Williams -A Crowd of Voices

• Gerald Lampert Award:Joan Fern Shaw,Raspberry Vinegar
• Archibald Lampman Award:Colin Morton,This Won't Last Forever
• 1986 Governor General's Awards:Al Purdy,The Collected Poems of Al Purdy (English);Cécile Cloutier,L'écouté (French)
• Pat Lowther Award:Erín Moure,Domestic Fuel
• Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize:Joe Rosenblatt,Poetry Hotel
• Prix Émile-Nelligan:Carole David,Terroristes d'amour andFrance Mongeau,Lumières

• Cholmondeley Award:Lawrence Durrell,James Fenton,Selima Hill
• Eric Gregory Award:Mick North,Lachlan Mackinnon,Oliver Reynolds,Stephen Romer
• Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry:Norman MacCaig

• Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize:Robley Wilson,Kingdoms of the Ordinary
• AML Award for poetry toDennis Marden Clark for "Sunwatch"
• Bernard F. Connors Prize for Poetry:John Koethe, "Mistral"
• Frost Medal:Allen Ginsberg /Richard Eberhart
• Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress appointed:Robert Penn Warren
• Pulitzer Prize for Poetry:Henry Taylor,The Flying Change
• Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize:Adrienne Rich
• Whiting Awards:John Ash,Hayden Carruth,Frank Stewart,Ruth Stone
• Fellowship of the Academy of American Poets:Irving Feldman andHoward Moss

• Raymond Antrobus,English poet and educator
• Caroline Bird,English poet
• Fateme Ekhtesari,Persian poet and midwife

Birth years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:

• January 4 –Christopher Isherwood (born1904),English-bornAmerican novelist and poet
• January 9 –W. S. Graham (born1918),Scottish poet
• January 12 –Bob Kaufman, at 60 (born1925),AmericanBeat poet, of emphysema
• March 4 –Elizabeth Smart, at 72 (born1913),Canadian poet and novelist
• March 8 –Kersti Merilaas, at 72 (born1913),Estonian poet, translator and author of children's fiction
• March 30 –John Ciardi, at 69 (born1916),American poet, translator and etymologist, of a heart attack
• April 15 –Jean Genet, at 75 (born1910),French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist and political activist
• April 21 –Salah Jahin, also spelled "Salah Jaheen" صلاح جاهين (born1930),Egyptian,Arabic-language poet, lyricist, playwright and cartoonist
• May 25 –Carlo Betocchi, at 87 (born1899),Italian poet
• June 24 –Rex Warner (born1905),English classicist, author, poet and translator
• July 13 –Brion Gysin, at 70 (born1916),English painter, writer, sound poet and performance artist
• August 19 –Mehr Lal Soni Zia Fatehabadi, at 73 (born1913),Urdu poet, essayist, critic, biographer
• August 20 –Milton Acorn, at 63 (born1923),Canadian poet, writer and playwright, of heart disease and diabetes
• August 31 –Elizabeth Coatsworth, at 93 (born1893),American author of children's fiction and poetry
• November 10 –Laurence Collinson (born1925),Australian^[47] playwright, actor, poet, journalist and secondary school teacher, in London
• December 8 –Henry Reed, at 72 (born1914),English poet, translator, radio playwright and journalist
• Also:
  • Atul Chandra Hazarika (born1903),Indian, writing inAssamese; poet, dramatist, children's story writer and translator; called "Sahitycharjya" by an Assamese literary society
  • Audrey Longbottom (born c.1922),Australian

• Poetry
• List of years in poetry
• List of poetry awards

• 20th-century poetry
• 1986
• 1986 poems

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