With deepest sadness we hear of the passing of the great Irish poet Paul Durcan.
The Brazilian Association of Irish Studies and the W. B. Yeats Chair of Irish Studies at the University of São Paulo and all his friends and admirers in Brazil express their heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.
The University of São Paulo had the honour to host him in 1995 when he lectured and read his poems to our students and a large public audience. He also gave lectures in other Brazilian cities. His memories of Brazil were generously treasured in his book Greetings to Our Friends in Brazil (1999), which, in the words of the Brazilian poet and scholar Luci Collin, is “a prodigious collection of one hundred playful, open and sometimes irreverent poems, [presenting] an impressive amalgam of varied subjects”.
The ABEI Journal celebrated Durcan’s 76th birthday with a Special Issue where poets, translators and scholars paid tribute to his work. It was edited by Alan Gilsenan, Munira H. Mutran and Mariana Bolfarine in 2020. https://revistas.usp.
His voice will echo in our hearts forever.
Living in the clouds in Brazil
Or living in the clouds in Ireland
Is vast of a vastness –" (from “Samambaia”)
See also Charlie Boland's article in ABEI Journal Vol. 3 (2001) https://revistas.usp.
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