Matthew Sweeney (1952–2018) was born in Co. Donegal, Ireland. He read English and German at the Polytechnic of North London, studying for a year at the University of Freiburg, Germany. He was the author of many collections of poetry, including Cacti, The Bridal Suite and Black Moon which was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize. He also wrote poetry and novels for children, including The Flying Spring Onion, The Snow Vulture and Fox. He compiled two anthologies for Faber, Emergency Kit: Poems for Strange Times (with Jo Shapcott) and The New Faber Book of Children’s Verse. His last two books, published shortly before he died, were My Life as an Artist and King of a Rainy Country.

Click here to read an obituary of Matthew Sweeney by Bill Swainson for the Guardian.