The Poet Laureate

POETRY CENTRAL   Volume 2, Number 2    ~The Poet Laureate ~ 

The term poet laureate refers to an individual who has been appointed by a government (principally and historically, Great Britain or the United States) in order to serve in a formal capacity as the leading poetry spokesperson in diverse areas such as education, writing poetry for special occasions and promoting artistic excellence in the arena of poetry and the language arts.

The practice of governments recognizing and naming laureate poets dates to the middle ages where laureate letters were given as special degrees by some European universities.  These were handed out as early as 1341, as cited by Gibbon, when Fracesco Petrarch (1304-74) was awarded the first position of poet laureate.  His responsibilities were somewhat diffuse, and the appointment was more of an honorary bestowal of recognition. 

The term laureate can be traced by its latin root, laureatus to the practice of being “crowned with laurels.”  In mythology, Apollo found the laurel wreath  to be a sacred emblem, and used it to form a crown to honor poets, artisans and heroic figures.

It is commonly agreed that the first, modern, though informal recognition of a Poet Laureate was made by Great Britain in 1617 and conferred upon the great poet,  Ben Johnson.  At that time, no formal title as poet laureate was given.  However, Johnson, an accomplished English renaissance poet and contemporary of William Shakespeare, earned an annual pension of 100 pounds, and an “annual terse of Canary wine.”

It was not until 1668 in England, when John Dryden was appointed Poet Laureate by letters patent, that the practice became formally instituted.  Dryden’s primary resposibilities were to compose original poems for important commemorative events such as the monarch’s birthday, royal marraiges and of course, recognizing military campaigns and victories.

It was not until the Romantic Period in Great Britain, however, with English laureates such as Wordsworth (tenure:  1843-50) and Tennyson (tenure:  1850-1892), that the institution of the poet laureate substantially took on a dynamic, public role.  These two stellar poets took their position as laureates very seriously, as did the English politic of the period.  So much so, that following Tennyson, it was feared that no poet could adequately succeed and fill the role that these two accomplished as ambassadors of poetry in England for half a century.  Still, the positions were admirably filled.  Below is a record of all of the English laureates, courtesy of Brain Bank.

An interesting anecdote to the last entry, Ted Hughes:  he appears on the ledger only after the original choice, Philip Larkin declined.  Evidently, according to the president of the Philip Larkin Society, Mr. James L. Orwin, Larkin was "unwilling to accept the high public profile and associated media attention of the position."

The Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress serves as the nation's official lightning rod for the poetic impulse of Americans. During his or her term, the Poet Laureate seeks to raise the national consciousness to a greater appreciation of the reading and writing of poetry.

Donald Hall is the current American Poet Laureate.  The Librarian of Congress appoints the Poet Laureate annually.  The official term is from October to May.  According to the most recent data on the website, the laureate receives an annual stipend of $35,000.  The primary responsibilities for the American laureate is to give an annual lecture and host readings of his or her poetry in public forums.  Another very important function of the laureate is to draw in new poets to the Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature, an ambitious project carefully maintained by the Library of Congress.  Since the 1940's this program has invited more than 2,000 poets to the Library to give personal readings which are then recorded, saved in data banks, and made available to the public online and in printed form.

No less than 44 poets have held the position of Poet Laureate in the U.S., including such luminaries as Robert Penn Warren (1944-5), Elizabeth Bishop (1949-50), William Carlos Williams (1952), Robert Frost (1958-9) and recently, Billy Collins (2001-03).

Each U.S. Laureate has brought their own emphasis and distinct gifts to the position.  For example, Joseph Brodsky wanted to make poetry more accessible to a wider audience and introduced creative ways to put poetry in supermarkets, hotels and airports.  Gwendolyn Brooks wanted to impress the value of poetry on younger minds, went into elementary schools reading her poetry and opened up a huge platform for poetry education in the primary education.

Billy Collins accepted his position as U.S. Poet Laureate in June, 2001.  In an official notice from the Library, the following comment characterized the poet:

Of his appointment, Dr. Billington said, "Billy Collins' poetry is widely accessible.  he writes in an original way about all manner of ordinary things and situations with both humor and a surprising contemplative twist.  We look forward to his energizing presence next year.

 

Yet, his nomination was not without some sideline rancor.  A small enclave of poets raised some issues concerning the appointment.  These poets, associated with a group called the "Poet's List", made their disgruntled feelings known by creating an anti-laureate postion, and voting in another poet, Anselm Hollo, in protest of  the Collins laureate appointment.  

Other countries have institutionalized the practice of naming a poet laureate, including Canada, South Africa, Ireland, and many others.  Australia has never had one.  There has been a recent move toward announcing more local representation, such as poet laureates for U.S. States and even cities.  San Francisco and  Victoria, B.C.  "city" poet laureates include  Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Carla Funk.  

SOURCES USED

Also click on these hot links as well as highlighted words in the article (in blue)

Donald Hall, Library of Congress, Current Laureate

Louise Gluck, Image and Emotion, 1997, Strother.

The Library of Congress, Official Website, Poet Laureate

WBUR, Boston's NPR News.  Hubbub Over Poet Laureate.

Archive ofRecorded Poetry, The Library of Congress (website) 

American Heritage Encyclopedia

Poet Seers/Contemporary Poets

Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Brittanica Online

Philip Larking Society, Official Website

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Written by Edward Nudelman, Books Correspondent for POETRY CENTRAL

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