About Michael Longley
One of Northern Ireland’s foremost contemporary poets, Michael Longley is renowned for the quiet beauty of his compact, meditative lyrics. Known for using classical allusions to cast provocative light on contemporary concerns—including Northern Ireland’s “Troubles”—Longley’s poetry is also marked by sharp observation of the natural world, deft use of technique, and deeply felt emotion. His debut volume, No Continuing City (1969), heralded the arrival of a new talent from a region which had already produced recognized talents like Seamus Heaney, Derek Mahon and Medbh McGuckian. However Longley’s early influences were English poets like Philip Larkin, Louis MacNeice, and the First World War poets, as well as masters from the classical tradition.Browse all poems and texts published on Michael Longley
