The Weather In Japan

A keeper of the aristic estate, a custodian of griefs and wonders

Seamus Heaney

One of the finest lyric poets of our century

John Burnside

His work indicates one of the gifts of the major poet, of making the one life speak for all, and its corollary, of seeming to be able to speak to anyone

Sean O'Brien

Michael Longley's affectionate metre, his clean-cut and lucid measure, is one of the most distinguished accomplishments in contemporary poetry

Douglas Dunn

While much contemporary verse attempts to sound casual, even offhand, Longley has consistently explored ways of thickening the texture of his idiom. His measured rhythms, skillfully crafted metaphors and elaborate syntax always insist on poetry's origins in ceremony, its powers to commemorate and dignify... His poetry binds the actual and mythical so seamlessly one looks in vain for the joints

Mark Ford

Longley has all the necessary gifts - precision, the celebrant's tongue, and that touch ofmystery that sets certain poets apart

George Mackay Brown