Friday, August 30, 2013

Seamus Heaney (1939–2013), RIP


It is with great sadness that we learn this morning of the death of Seamus Heaney, a poet of immense power and achievement, and earned authority. A great advocate of poetry, Seamus was also a great friend to poets, publishers and of course readers everywhere  who felt they knew him, and knew his world, through the precision of his writing and the keenness of his vision.

If ever a poet could be said to have recognised the importance of keeping poetry at the heart of our conversation with ourselves it was Seamus. Certainly any time we had any reason to contact him, looking for help or advice, he was beyond generous and always encouraging.

His profound contribution to writing in Ireland, and on a world stage, has been unmatched in our time, and leaves us all with an enormous sense of loss, as if we were suddenly in a dark place and seeing things, which we had taken for granted, were now the greatest and most elusive miracle.

"And yes, my friend, we too walked through a valley.
Once. In darkness. With all the streetlamps off."
– xxxvi, 2 Settings, Squarings, Seeing Things (1991)

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