Tributes flow for Pulitzer-winning lesbian poet Mary Oliver

In Mary Oliver, the LGBTIQ+ community saw a queer woman unafraid to speak about life, love and loss.

Mary Oliver

Mary Oliver died at the age of 83. Source: Getty Images North America

Tributes are flowing for beloved US poet Mary Oliver, who has died at the age of 83.

Oliver, who won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, was loved by many for the affection with which she wrote about nature, as well as the accessibility of her language.

"Poetry, to be understood, must be clear," in 2012.

"It mustn't be fancy. I have the feeling that a lot of poets writing now, they sort of tap dance through it. I always feel that whatever isn't necessary should not be in the poem."

She was particularly beloved by , who saw in her a queer woman unafraid to speak about life, love and loss.
Fans of Oliver's work took to social media to express their sadness at her loss, with Hilary Clinton tweeting: "Thank you, Mary Oliver, for giving so many of us words to live by."

Oliver had written numerous times about death. Her partner of 40 years, photographer Molly Malone Cook, died of cancer in 2005.

"When it's over," she wrote in When Death Comes, "I want to say: all my life / I was a bride married to amazement. I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms."

And, one of her most quoted lines, from 1992 poem The Summer Day: "Tell me, what is it you plan to do / with your one wild and precious life?"

Share
Published 18 January 2019 11:28am
By Samuel Leighton-Dore


Share this with family and friends


SBS News in your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS On Demand
SBS News
SBS Audio

Listen to our podcasts
Join host Yumi Stynes for Seen, a new SBS podcast about cultural creatives who have risen to excellence despite a role-model vacuum.
The day's top stories from SBS News.
Ease into the English language and Australian culture. We make learning English convenient, fun and practical.
Get the latest with our sbs podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch SBS On Demand
Over 11,000 hours

Over 11,000 hours

News, drama, documentaries, SBS Originals and more - free.