Now that one is a recognized author dare I say it, in the United States of America a lot of interesting work comes my way including interest in Best Sellers in America and here in the UK so I got down to reading once more Poetry News which filed past my door yesterday and I read it late last night.
The excitement in Poetry News is contained in the recent appointment of a woman Poet Laureate in the person of Carol Ann Duffy whose appointment has brought the poets out in true form and the commentaries are printed as follows:
They the poets are obviously pleased with the choice of Duffy as Poet Laureate and I must say I find it all a little dreary but then I am not in with the in crowd so to speak as they refuse to print anything I say at all and send me views exclusively belonging to this elite circle ..
Roger McGough ...To be suggesing ... anyone other than The Patron Saint of Poetry .. would be a travesty".
Other comments .. inspiring figure, democratic - (havent we read this somewhere before!)
Or are all the poets in this elite circle .. Rival Poets .. since nominees included:
Peter Porter, Ruth Padel, Geoffrey Hill, Jo Shapcott, Alice Oswald to name but the nominees!
Wendy Cope wished to see the post abolished and the quote from Cope is ..
"seriousness without solemnity an accessibility avoiding the pointlessly arcane" as its full of long words but then Wendy Cope would never have to be known as in "short fall" unlike my goodself though I have managed to crawl out of the short fall and now I am in long fall ... dont the Americans refer to September as The Fall! I think so!
Juxtaposted with this excitement at the appointment of Duffy as the new woman Poet Laureate is the death of Mick Imlah - British Poet - truly literary protagonist - died at 52 of motor neurone disease and the book cited as one of his "best" is "Lost Leader" .... sorry about the death!
Good reading in The Poetry News from Poetry Society in London ... nice work!