Matthew Sweeney

Biography Sweeney was born in Lifford, County Donegal, in 1952. before graduating with a BA Honours degree in 1978. Having lived in London for many years until 2001, Sweeney separated from Rosemary and went to live in Timișoara (Romania) and Berlin (Germany). In 2007, he met his partner, Mary Noonan, and in early 2008 he moved to Cork to live with her there.

Sweeney died in Cork from motor neuron disease on 5 August 2018. He read at three Rotterdam Poetry Festivals, in 1998, 2003 and 2009.

His final year saw the publication of two new collections: My Life As A Painter (Bloodaxe Books) and King of a Rainy Country (Arc Publications), inspired by Baudelaire's posthumously published Petits poèmes en prose. He had continued writing up until three days before he died. In an interview shortly before his death he was quizzed on his legacy, to which he gave the response: "Mostly what awaits the poet is posthumous oblivion. Maybe there will be a young man in Hamburg, or Munich, or possibly Vienna, for whom my German translations will be for a while important – and might just contribute to him becoming a German language poet with Irish leanings." 2008: Poetry Now Award (shortlist) for his collection Black Moon 2011: The Steven Kings Award 2012: Maria Elsa Authors and Poets Award 2014: Piggot Poetry Prize (for Horse Music) Elected a member of Aosdána

Works Poetry

(Canadian edition, A Picnic on Ice, Signal Editions, Véhicule Press, 2002)

King of a Rainy Country, Arc Publications, September 2018 Contributor to A New Divan: A Lyrical Dialogue Between East and West, Gingko Library, 2019. Editor (with Jo Shapcott) (with Ken Smith and Felix Post)

Novel Satirical crime novel, co-written with John Hartley Williams

Criticism With John Hartley Williams