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Michael was one of the most distinguished and best loved poets writing in English at the time of his death. He received numerous public accolades for his poetry, among them the Forward Prize for Conjure (2000) and both the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize and the Whitbread Poetry Award for Shibboleth (1988). His poems, which range from the meditative to the humorous, possess a rare combination of learning and technical agility.

Michael was also an enthusiastic supporter of the work of the Poetry Translation Centre. At our launch party in June 2004, he read the very first translation of the evening - Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi's 'A Monkey at the Window' - as well as other translations from Portuguese and Arabic. Members of the audience will remember his captivating reading style — intent yet with a gentleness and a self-effacing reverence for the words rather than for his own performance. Had he lived, he doubtless would have made a major contribution to our translations. We miss him greatly.

(Photo by Jane Watt)

Michael reading his poems at The Poetry Archive

Sean O'Brien's obituary in The Guardian

Published 16/09/2004