Seamus Heaney books in order
Irish poet, playwright, translator, lecturer
- Lived
- 1939–2013
- Country
- Ireland
- Books
- 31
Seamus Heaney published 2 novels, 3 novellas, 1 non-fiction book, 22 poetry collections, 1 play and 2 other books, beginning with The Cure at Troy (1990). The best-known is Opened Ground (1998).
Updated September 2026
Where to start with Seamus Heaney
Start here
Opened Ground
Seamus Heaney's most-read book.
Standalone novels in order
Stations (1975)
The Government of the Tongue (1988)
Novellas in order
Seeing Things (1991)
The Spirit Level (2001)
District and Circle (Apr 2006)
Non-fiction in order
The Makings of a Music (1978)
Poetry in order
Death of a Naturalist (1966)
Door into the Dark (1969)
Wintering Out (1972)
North (1975)
Field Work (1979)
Preoccupations (1980)
Selected Poems 1965-1975 (1980)
Arvon Foundation Poetry Competition (1982)
An Open Letter (1983)
Sweeney Astray (1983)
Station Island (1984)
New Selected Poems 1966–1987 (1990)
Joy or Night: Last Things in the Poetry of W.b. Yeats and Philip Larkin (1993)
The Redress of Poetry (1995)
The School Bag (1997)
Opened Ground (1998)
Electric Light (2001)
The Burial at Thebes (2004)
Human Chain (2010)
Faber & Faber Poetry Diary 2016 (2015)
100 Poems (2018)
Beowulf: a Verse Translation (2019)
Plays in order
The Cure at Troy (1990)
Other books in order
Buile Suibhne (1984)
Grotus and Coventina (1984)
About Seamus Heaney
Seamus Justin Heaney was an Irish poet, playwright and translator. He received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature. Among his best-known works is Death of a Naturalist (1966), his first major published volume. American poet Robert Lowell described him as "the most important Irish poet since Yeats", and many others, including the academic John Sutherland, have said that he was "the greatest poet of our age". Robert Pinsky has stated that "with his wonderful gift of eye and ear Heaney has the gift of the story-teller." Upon his death in 2013, The Independent described him as "probably the best-known poet in the world".
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Seamus Heaney FAQ
- How many books has Seamus Heaney written?
- Seamus Heaney published 2 novels, 3 novellas, 1 non-fiction book, 22 poetry collections, 1 play and 2 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Seamus Heaney's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with Opened Ground.
- What is Seamus Heaney's last book?
- District and Circle (2006).
- What is Seamus Heaney's most famous book?
- Opened Ground (1998) is Seamus Heaney's most widely read book.
Authors like Seamus Heaney
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.