Carol Ann Duffy was named poet laureate yesterday as Andrew Motion’s 10-year tenure comes to an end.
Duffy, 53, is credited as being a rarity in poetry for combining commercial and critical success.
She was in the running for the prestigious role in 1999, but lost out to Motion over what British media reported were concerns about how people would react to a lesbian laureate.
Duffy was born in Glasgow and read philosophy at Liverpool University. She lectures in poetry at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Among her adult poetry collections, many of which have won major awards, are Standing Female Nude (1985), Mean Time (1993), Feminine Gospels (2002) and Rapture (2005).
Duffy also writes picture books for children and plays.
The announcement was to be made at noon by Andy Burnham, secretary of state for culture, media and sport at the University of Manchester.
The royal post of poet laureate, which has been held by the likes of John Dryden, William Wordsworth and, before Motion, Ted Hughes, is awarded to someone whose verse is considered to be of national significance.
The appointment is made by Queen Elizabeth, acting on the advice of government ministers.
The holder of the title receives an annual honorarium of around £5,750 (US$8,560) and Motion earned another £19,000 a year from the government to support his work in education. This sum will not transfer automatically to his successor.
The appointment is likely to reignite debate among literary circles over whether Britain really needs a poet laureate, who is expected to compose poems to mark major state occasions and other national events.
The post is seen by some as a poisoned chalice. Motion, generally viewed as a successful laureate for actively promoting verse, complained last year that the title had helped cause him to suffer writer’s block.
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