Michael Donaghy

Although he was not well-known in the United States, the American-born Michael Donaghy earned a reputation in Britain as one of most gifted, inventive, and intelligent poets writing in English. His death at age 50 shocked his many admirers; soon afterward, dozens of tributes from poets, editors, friends, and former students appeared in British newspapers. Those who knew him praised his humor and good friendship. All were certain that his contribution to the art of poetry would last.

Michael Donaghy grew up in the Bronx borough of New York City, where he was born in 1954. His parents were Irish immigrants who never felt at home in their new country, and he grew up with a sense of mixed identity as an Irish-American. Many of Donag