ABSTRACT
Seamus Heaney (1939-2013) was born in County Derry in Northern Ireland and had a rural upbringing. His early collections Death of a Naturalist (1966) and Door into the Dark (1969) reflect that early life. Later books such as North (1975) reflect the ‘Troubles’ and wider politics and cultural complexities. He also revisited ancient works as a translator, for instance in Sweeney Astray: A version from the Irish (1984), Beowulf (2000) and The Testament of Cresseid and Seven Fables (2009).
