The Poet Laureate

Q. What does a Poet Laureate do

A. In Britain the Poet Laureate is responsible for composing poems for court and national occasions. At the time of each laureate's death, it is the duty of the Prime Minister to nominate a list of successors from which the reigning sovereign will choose one. It is the Lord Chamberlain who appoints the Poet Laureate by issuing a warrant to the laureate-elect. The life appointment is always announced in the London Gazette.

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Q. Why Poet 'Laureate'

A. Because of the laurel wreath traditionally awarded to eminent poets in the Graeco-Roman world.

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Q. Who was the first

A. Britain's first Poet Laureate was Ben Jonson, who was appointed in 1616, but the title did not become an official royal office until 1668, when John Dryden assumed the post. There have, to date, been 19 people in the job.

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Q. Any other notable holders of the post

A. Some of the bigger names include William Wordsworth (1843-50), Alfred Lord Tennyson (1850-92), Cecil Day-Lewis (1968-72), John Betjeman (1972-84) and Ted Hughes (1984-98).

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Q. Has it changed much over the centuries

A. The post today is free of any specific poetic duties. However, it was once had a far more political role, as a key member of what might be termed the monarch's PR team, and at the time of the Revolution of 1688, John Dryden was dismissed for refusing the oath of allegiance to William of Orange. Dryden's successor, Thomas Shadwell, started the custom of producing New Year and birthday odes, which became the principal mark of the office. When Queen Victoria appointed William Wordsworth, it signified that the post had become the reward for eminence in poetry, and the office since then has carried no specific duties. Laureates from Tennyson onwards have written poems for royal and national occasions as the spirit has moved them.

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Q. So, what's the salary

A. There is a stipend of �70 a year, plus �27 in lieu of the traditional 'butt of sack' (cask of wine) granted originally by Charles I, but turned into a cash payment on the appointment Henry James Pye - made laureate in 1790 - who preferred the equivalent in money. The current incumbent does, however, have a fixed term appointment - for ten years with an honorarium of �5,000 a year - a break with tradition for the role

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Q. And who is the current incumbent

A. Andrew Motion (1998) is in the hot seat at present. A somewhat controversial choice - he is not, by his own admission, a convinced royalist - he sees his role as one of promoting poetry, particularly in schools. He has produced a number of moving and effective new works on subjects such as the Paddington rail crash victims, and on childhood bullying, something he endured himself. He is also the author of acclaimed biographies of poets Philip Larkin and John Keats, and teaches creative writing at the University of East Anglia.

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Q. Do any other countries appoint such people

A. A great many now, but the holder in the United Kingdom and the US have the highest profile. The American tradition is far younger than its British equivalent however - 370 years younger in fact. It started in 1986, and, unlike their British counterparts, the laureate's appointment is only for one year, and it is held by the same person who holds the post of consultant in poetry for the Library of Congress.

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Well-known American Poet Laureates include Robert Penn Warren (1986), Mark Strand (1990) and Joseph Brodsky (1991).

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Q. Any other interesting facts

A. The post of Poet Laureate has never, thus far, been given to a woman and only two poets have declined the office: Thomas Gray - famed for his 'Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard' - in 1757 and Samuel Rogers in 1850.

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For a full list of British Poet Laureates go to http://www.cftech.com/BrainBank/OTHERREFERENCE/LITERATURE/PoetLaurt.html

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See also the article on National Poetry Day

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For more on Arts & Literature click here

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By Simon Smith