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Popular Poetry Please: Carol Ann Duffy, The First Female Poet Laureate
With the most widely read British poet alive today being named Poet Laureate, can Carol Ann Duffy rejuvenate the art for the 21st century?
Carol Ann Duffy has been part of the secondary school syllabus for 15 years. A favourite among students and teachers alike, Duffy's light and passionate verse manages to be both accessible and thought-provoking.
Awarded the CBE in 2002 for her services to poetry, Duffy has been named the Royal Family's personal poet in light of previous incumbent Andrew Motion's resignation. Commissioned to write new works that mark and commemorate special events that affect the country, the Poet Laureate has been a major position in the art world for 341 years. In all that time, Ms Duffy is the only female Laureate.
Anointed at the University of Manchester's John Rylands library last week, Carol Ann Duffy pronounced her appointment as "a great day for women writers". She continued: "It highlights the way that women writers have changed the landscape of literature in this country."
Rumour has it that Duffy was considered for the role 10 years ago, when the position went to Andrew Motion, but was rejected because she is openly gay. It was even reported that the then PM, Tony Blair, expressed concern that a lesbian Poet Laureate might not sit well with the more Conservative pockets of Britain.
Discussing the rumours, Duffy told the Guardian that she thought Britain had "grown up" in its attitude to sexuality of late, and that: "It is fantastic that I am an openly gay writer [to be named Poet Laureate]".
By far the most pertinent aspect of her acceptance of the role however, is concerned with her passion for rejuvenating poetry as a modern art form. Itemising a string of profile-raising initiatives, Carol promised to continue celebrating poetry at public events. She described one of these ideas as planning to "get lots and lots of poets, not just me, to go into schools". She has also announced plans to donate her entire annual stipend of nearly 6,000 pounds to the Poetry Society in order for them to set up a new poetry prize.
Duffy herself is the recipient of a prestigious poetry prize, winning the Dylan Thomas Award from the Poetry Society in 1989. Describing the victory as "life changing", Carol maintains that recognition and reward for writers and poets are vital to maintain an artistically rich culture in Britain. Winning several high-profile awards during the 1990s, Carol was again decorated for her poetry in 2005, when she was awarded the TS Eliot Prize for Rapture.
Carol Ann Duffy is also an acclaimed playwright, and has had plays performed at the Liverpool Playhouse and the Almeida Theatre in London. Especially prevalent in her early career, her most famous plays include Take My Husband (1982), Cavern of Dreams (1984), Little Women, Big Boys (1986) and the radio play, Loss (1986).
Speaking to the BBC Radio Four programme Woman's Hour, Duffy explained that she took the position "as a recognition of the great woman poets we have writing now". She added: "Poetry is all around us, all of the time, whether in song or in speech or on the page, and we turn to it when events, personal or public, matter most.
"In accepting this Laureateship, I hope to contribute to people's understanding of what poetry can do and where it can be found."
The first female Laureate, the first Scottish Laureate and the first Laureate to be anointed in the 21st century, if ever the appointment of the position could symbolise a new chapter in the history of the public poet, it must certainly be now. With her emphasis on encouraging other poets, perhaps the decision to bestow the post on Carol Ann Duffy could popularise poetry for a new generation.
About the Author Samantha is an expert Research and family breaks consultant. She is currently writing for Play and Stay and is very excited about the upcoming British summer
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