DONAGHY, Michael 1954-2004

OBITUARY NOTICE— See index for CA sketch: Born May 24, 1954, in New York, NY; died of a brain hemorrhage September 16 (one source says September 17), 2004, in London, England. Author. Donaghy was a prominent poet of England's New Generation. He earned his B.A. from Fordham University in 1976, followed by an M.A. from the University of Chicago, where he was also the poetry editor of the Chicago Review. After publishing his first verse collection, Silvers, in 1985, Donaghy moved to London, where he resided for the rest of his life. Though an American expatriate, as a member of the Poetry Society—and 1999 reader-in-residence—he was grouped together with poets of the New Generation, which includes such writers as Simon Armitage, Carol Ann Duffy, Lavinia Greenlaw, Jamie McKendrick, and Don Paterson. However, some critics compared him more closely with poets like Richard Wilbur and James Merrill. A careful writer who once said he only produced three poems a year, Donaghy's oeuvre contains only a few books, monographs, and pamphlets, including Shibboleth (1988), Errata (1993), Wallflowers (1999), Dances Learned Last Night (Poems 1975-1995) (2000), and Conjure (2000). To support himself, he also wrote reviews and articles for such periodicals as Paris Review, New Yorker, Poetry, and the Times Literary Supplement. A musical background in the flute and bodhran naturally influenced his verses, which have been called lyrical but which also range into the noirish. Though not prolific, Donaghy gained many honors for his poetry, including the Whitbread Poetry Prize for Shibboleth, the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize for Errata, and the Forward prize for Conjure. He was also named a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1999.

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Daily Telegraph (London, England), October 1, 2004. Guardian (London, England), September 24, 2004, p. 31.

Independent (London, England), September 20, 2004, p. 32.

Times (London, England), September 25, 2004, p. 46.