Staff Profile

Tara Bergin is the author of three collections of poetry. Her first collection, This is Yarrow, won the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry Prize in 2013. Her second book, The Tragic Death of Eleanor Marx (2017), named Book of the Year by The Times and The Irish Times, was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize, the Forward Prize, and the Irish Times Poetry Now Award. Tara's third collection, Savage Tales ('ground-breaking, innovative form' - Irish Times) - appeared in October 2022.

Tara wrote her PhD thesis on Ted Hughes's translations of the Hungarian poet János Pilinszky, and her MLitt thesis on English translations of the Russian poet Marina Tsvetaeva.

To be able to seize the whole of one’s ability like a little ball. – Kafka

Tara Bergin teaches Undergraduate and Postgraduate modules on writing poetry and creative practice.

She supervises PhDs with a particular focus on the practice of poetic translation and methods of creativity.

Tara’s areas of specialism at the School of English include: the cross-over between creative and critical writing, poetic translation and ‘ekphrasis’ (in its various manifestations). 

In her classes, students are encouraged to read as well as write, and to explore the effect of voice, tone and persona in poetry, as well as the blurring of boundaries between invention, intervention, and documentary.

Tara leads ‘The Alternative Criticism Workshop’, which she set-up for Creative Writing PhD students to discuss the merits and pitfalls of the experimental essay.

Tara works part-time at Newcastle (Wed. & Thur.)

Room: 3.14, 3rd Floor, Percy Building

• Bergin T. The Tragic Death of Eleanor Marx. Carcanet Press, 2017.
• Bergin Tara. This is Yarrow. Manchester: Carcanet, 2013.