Seamus Heaney

Seamus Heaney - Nobel Laureates In Literature, Family and Life

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Seamus Heaney's Personal Details

Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney was an Irish poet, playwright and translator

InformationDetail
BirthdayApril 13, 1939
Died onAugust 30, 2013
NationalityIrish
FamousNobel Laureates In Literature, Writers, Poets
SpousesMarie Devlin
Universities
  • Queen's University of Belfast
  • St. Columb's College
Birth PlaceCastledawson
ReligionRoman Catholic
GenderMale
FatherPatrick Heaney
MotherMargaret Kathleen McCann
Sun SignAries
Born inCastledawson
Famous asPoet
Died at Age74

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Seamus Heaney's photo

Who is Seamus Heaney?

Seamus Heaney, one of greatest living poets of our age, was a wordsmith from Ireland, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. His poems, which have achieved great critical acclaim and are very, popular with the common man as well. Most of his poetry is based on the tradition and events of Northern Ireland, to which he has been a witness since his childhood. Owing to his upbringing in countryside, Heaney was deeply influenced by the life of country, which later, found expression in his poetry. But then, as he grew up he also watched the industrial mushroom around him, and soon he saw the rural side of Ireland deplete. All these events influenced his artistic talents, and he ultimately incorporated all these in his writings. Majority of his works are a quest of long lost tradition or the ‘pre-modern’ times, in which men lived and thrived in concord. Nevertheless, he was not one of those disillusioned poets, who could not discover the positive elements of the modern and the post-modern era. As a poet, he grew and evolved with time, not by disparaging it, but by analyzing and understanding it. His strength and mastery over the language of English, coupled with his considerate thoughts and matured approach have served as an inspiration for the present generation.

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Childhood & Early Life

Heaney was the first child born to Patrick Heaney and Margaret Kathleen McCann at his family’s farmhouse.

As a child he studied at the Anahorish Primary School, before earning a scholarship to St. Columb's College. He went to learn English Language and Literature at Queen's University, Belfast in 1957.

He graduated from Queen’s in 1961, after which he went on to join the Teacher’s Training Institute in Belfast.

Career

While undergoing training to become a teacher, he was introduced to the poetry of Patrick Kavanagh, which inspired him to write and publish his own set of poetry, beginning in 1962.

After a series of publications in several local magazines, he became a lecturer at St Joseph's in 1963. Soon, he became a part of a young Belfast poets association, initiated by Philip Dennis Hobsbaum, a British teacher and poet.

‘Eleven Poems’, his first book was published in 1965 which was meant for the Queen's University Festival.

He published his groundbreaking work, ‘Death of a Naturalist’ in 1966, which received extremely positive critical reception, after which he was employed by Queen's University Belfast as Modern English Literature lecturer.

He left Belfast for Dublin in 1972, where he worked as a teacher at the Carysfort College. The same year, he published ‘Wintering Out’, another collection of poetry.

He continued to publish more volumes of poetry and in 1981 he served as a visiting professor at Harvard University.

In 1985, he was employed as the Boylston Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory at Harvard University.

He was appointed as the Professor of Poetry at the University of Oxford in 1989. Since, he did not have to reside in Oxford, he was able to travel and give readings in public.

He was also involved in the editing of ‘The Mays Anthology’, a collection of poetry by the students of the University of Oxford and University of Cambridge in 1993.

Throughout the 2000s, he was awarded several honors and doctorate degrees and in 2008 he was made artist of honor in �stermarie, Denmark. Two years later, he published his twelfth collection of poetry ‘Human Chain’.

He contributed his personal literary notes to the National Library of Ireland in December 2011, instead of auctioning or selling them.

Major Works

‘Death of a Naturalist’ by the author has 34 short poems, based on the experiences of a child, as he grows up. The book won several prestigious awards and helped Heaney carve a niche for himself in the literary world.

‘District and Circle’ is one of his best works of poetry which won the T. S. Eliot Prize, the highest esteemed award in poetry in U.K.

Out of his several translations, the translation of the epic ‘Old English’ poem ‘Beowulf’ is by far, his most notable work.

Awards & Achievements

He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995 and according to the Nobel Committee his works exuded “…lyrical beauty and ethical depth, which exalt everyday miracles and the living past”.

For ‘District and Circle’, a collection of his poetry, he was awarded the T. S. Eliot Prize in 2006.

He received the Forward Poetry Prize for Best Collection, one of the most highly regarded prizes in poetry in U.K., in 2010, for his collection ‘Human Chain’.

Personal Life & Legacy

Seamus Heaney married Marie Devlin, a school teacher, in August 1965, with whom he had three children.

He died on 30 August 2013, in Dublin, at the age of 74, following a short illness

Trivia

This renowned poet was described as “the most important Irish poet since Yeats” by the famous American poet, Robert Lowell.

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Seamus Heaney's awards

YearNameAward

Other

1975E. M. forster Award
1975Duff Cooper Memorial Prize
1995Nobel Prize for Literature
2005Irish PEN Award
2006T. S. Eliot Prize
2007Poetry Now Award
2009David Cohen Prize
2011Poetry Now Award
2011Griffin Poetry Prize finalist
2011Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award
2012Griffin Poetry Prize Lifetime Recognition Award
01966 - Eric Gregory Award
0 1967 - Cholmondeley Award
0 1968 - Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize

Seamus Heaney biography timelines

  • // 13th Apr 1939
    Heaney was the first child born to Patrick Heaney and Margaret Kathleen McCann at his family’s farmhouse.
  • // 1957
    As a child he studied at the Anahorish Primary School, before earning a scholarship to St. Columb's College. He went to learn English Language and Literature at Queen's University, Belfast in 1957.
  • // 1961
    He graduated from Queen’s in 1961, after which he went on to join the Teacher’s Training Institute in Belfast.
  • // 1962
    While undergoing training to become a teacher, he was introduced to the poetry of Patrick Kavanagh, which inspired him to write and publish his own set of poetry, beginning in 1962.
  • // 1963
    After a series of publications in several local magazines, he became a lecturer at St Joseph's in 1963. Soon, he became a part of a young Belfast poets association, initiated by Philip Dennis Hobsbaum, a British teacher and poet.
  • // 1965
    ‘Eleven Poems’, his first book was published in 1965 which was meant for the Queen's University Festival.
  • // 1965
    Seamus Heaney married Marie Devlin, a school teacher, in August 1965, with whom he had three children.
  • // 1966
    He published his groundbreaking work, ‘Death of a Naturalist’ in 1966, which received extremely positive critical reception, after which he was employed by Queen's University Belfast as Modern English Literature lecturer.
  • // 1966
    ‘Death of a Naturalist’ by the author has 34 short poems, based on the experiences of a child, as he grows up. The book won several prestigious awards and helped Heaney carve a niche for himself in the literary world.
  • // 1972
    He left Belfast for Dublin in 1972, where he worked as a teacher at the Carysfort College. The same year, he published ‘Wintering Out’, another collection of poetry.
  • // 1981
    He continued to publish more volumes of poetry and in 1981 he served as a visiting professor at Harvard University.
  • // 1985
    In 1985, he was employed as the Boylston Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory at Harvard University.
  • // 1989
    He was appointed as the Professor of Poetry at the University of Oxford in 1989. Since, he did not have to reside in Oxford, he was able to travel and give readings in public.
  • // 1993
    He was also involved in the editing of ‘The Mays Anthology’, a collection of poetry by the students of the University of Oxford and University of Cambridge in 1993.
  • // 1995
    He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995 and according to the Nobel Committee his works exuded “…lyrical beauty and ethical depth, which exalt everyday miracles and the living past”.
  • // 1999
    Out of his several translations, the translation of the epic ‘Old English’ poem ‘Beowulf’ is by far, his most notable work.
  • // 2006
    ‘District and Circle’ is one of his best works of poetry which won the T. S. Eliot Prize, the highest esteemed award in poetry in U.K.
  • // 2006
    For ‘District and Circle’, a collection of his poetry, he was awarded the T. S. Eliot Prize in 2006.
  • // 2008
    Throughout the 2000s, he was awarded several honors and doctorate degrees and in 2008 he was made artist of honor in �stermarie, Denmark. Two years later, he published his twelfth collection of poetry ‘Human Chain’.
  • // 2010
    He received the Forward Poetry Prize for Best Collection, one of the most highly regarded prizes in poetry in U.K., in 2010, for his collection ‘Human Chain’.
  • // Dec 2011
    He contributed his personal literary notes to the National Library of Ireland in December 2011, instead of auctioning or selling them.
  • // 30th Aug 2013
    He died on 30 August 2013, in Dublin, at the age of 74, following a short illness

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Seamus Heaney's FAQ

  • What is Seamus Heaney birthday?

    Seamus Heaney was born at 1939-04-13

  • When was Seamus Heaney died?

    Seamus Heaney was died at 2013-08-30

  • Which age was Seamus Heaney died?

    Seamus Heaney was died at age 74

  • Where is Seamus Heaney's birth place?

    Seamus Heaney was born in Castledawson

  • What is Seamus Heaney nationalities?

    Seamus Heaney's nationalities is Irish

  • Who is Seamus Heaney spouses?

    Seamus Heaney's spouses is Marie Devlin

  • What was Seamus Heaney universities?

    Seamus Heaney studied at Queen's University of Belfast, St. Columb's College

  • What is Seamus Heaney's religion?

    Seamus Heaney's religion is Roman Catholic

  • Who is Seamus Heaney's father?

    Seamus Heaney's father is Patrick Heaney

  • Who is Seamus Heaney's mother?

    Seamus Heaney's mother is Margaret Kathleen McCann

  • What is Seamus Heaney's sun sign?

    Seamus Heaney is Aries

  • How famous is Seamus Heaney?

    Seamus Heaney is famouse as Poet