Knowing and Forgetting
A foundational full-length collection and a natural entry to Hulse's early poetry.
Author guide
Michael Hulse Books in Order
Michael Hulse is an English poet, translator, critic, and interviewer. His poetry includes early pamphlets and collections, later autobiographical and reflective work, and poetry focused on history, family, culture, and mortality. He taught poetry and comparative literature at the University of Warwick and has translated extensively from German, although translation-only works are excluded here.
poetryliterary criticisminterviews
Catalog record updated .
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
The Secret History
A representative autobiographical collection centered on family, heritage, childhood, and love.
Half-Life
A strong later collection combining family narratives, global concerns, and meditations on death.
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Essays and speeches (3)
- Monochrome Blood: Thirteen Poems
poetry-pamphlet · 1980
- Dole Queue
poetry-pamphlet · 1981
- Monteverdi's Photographs: Nine Poems on Aesthetics
poetry-pamphlet · 1995
Poetry (6)
- Knowing and Forgetting
poetry-collection · 1981
- Propaganda
poetry-collection · 1985
- Eating Strawberries in the Necropolis
poetry-collection · 1991
- Mother of Battles
poetry-collection · 1991
- The Secret History
poetry-collection · 2009
- Half-Life
poetry-collection · 2013
Other (1)
- Charles Simic in Conversation with Michael Hulse
interview · 2002
This well-respected interview series welcomes Charles Simic. The University of New Hampshire poet is widely regarded as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary American poetry. Recipient of numerous awards and prizes, Simic…
Frequently asked questions about Michael Hulse
Who is Michael Hulse?
Michael Hulse is an English poet, translator, critic, and educator. He is particularly associated with translating German literature into English.
Sources: poems.poetrysociety.org.uk (opens in a new tab)ndbooks.com (opens in a new tab)
What has Michael Hulse done besides writing poetry?
He has translated more than sixty books from German, including works by W. G. Sebald, Goethe, Rilke, Elfriede Jelinek, and Herta Müller. He has also edited literary magazines and anthologies.
Where did Michael Hulse teach, and what literary work did he do there?
Since 2002, Hulse has taught poetry and comparative literature at the University of Warwick, where he established The Warwick Review in 2007. He also co-founded the Hippocrates initiative for poetry and medicine.
Sources: poems.poetrysociety.org.uk (opens in a new tab)warwick.ac.uk (opens in a new tab)
What awards has Michael Hulse won?
He won the inaugural National Poetry Competition in 1978, followed by an Eric Gregory Award in 1980 and a Cholmondeley Award in 1991. He has also won first prizes in the Bridport Poetry Competition.
Sources: poems.poetrysociety.org.uk (opens in a new tab)ndbooks.com (opens in a new tab)
How have Michael Hulse’s English-German background and literary influences shaped his poetry?
His poetry often explores family, home, memory, and the difficult historical legacies of England and Germany. Critical commentary also connects his work to his childhood in Germany and to German literary traditions.
Sources: pnreview.co.uk (opens in a new tab)dura-dundee.org.uk (opens in a new tab)