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Carol Ann Duffy

Sources

Scottish poet & playwright

http://www.stylist.co.uk/people/interviews-and-profiles/interview-carol-ann-duffy#image-rotator-1

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8022790.stm

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jan/17/jeanette-winterson-on-carol-ann-duffys-the-worlds-wife

http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poetry/poets/carol-ann-duffy

Biography

  • She lived with Jackie Kay for 10 years
  • She had her daughter Ella in 1995
  • Became the Poet Laureate in May 2009
  • 1st woman, Scot and openly LGBT person to hold that position
  • Some said she should have been appointed 10 years previous
  • Currently works as a professor at Manchester Metropolitan University
  • One of the United Kingdom's "most powerful women in 2013"

"The World's Wife"

Female Standing Nude

In the poems from Female Standing Nude, Duffy continues to give voice to outsiders, but is more open with her protagonists, focusing on characters who may be on the margins because of their jobs, social status or religion.

Take a look at the five poems from that collection now. Can you identify the protagonist in each, and what keeps them on the outside?

This collection of her poems is the first, and contains one of the most notorious, "Education for Leisure," which was removed from the UK's exam list in 2008 for "endorsing a culture of violence."

Find that poem in your packet. Can you identify what may have made it objectionable?

These poems look at iconic moments or people from a female's perspective. The characters come from fairy tales, Bible stories, legends, modern horrors, and ancient myths.

Look through your packet at these poems. How many of the names do you recognize? Who were they/what do you know about them?

Biography

  • Born December 23rd 1955, in Glasgow, Scotland
  • Oldest of five children in a "left wing, catholic, working class" family
  • Left home to study philosophy in Liverpool at 16
  • She lived with Adrian Henri, who was twice her age, for 11 years*
  • Published her first volume of poetry, Standing Female Nude, 1985

Select Works & Awards

Themes

Poetry:

Standing Female Nude, 1985

Selling Manhattan, 1987

Mean Time, 1993

The World's Wife, 1999

Feminine Gospels, 2002

Rapture, 2005

One can definitely see elements of her life in her writing, in terms of content, but also themes. Some of the concepts which are most prominent in these poems are gender/feminism, sexuality, identity, oppression, love and social inequality.

Skim through the poems. Do any of those jump out to you?

Dylan Thomas Award, 1989

Forward Prize, 1993

Whitbread Prize for Poetry, 1993

Poet Laureate, 2009

Quotes

Plays:

Take My Husband, 1982

Cavern of Dreams, 1984

Little Women, Big Boys, 1986

"I like to use simple words, but in a complicated way."

"Having a child for me was a revolutionary experience. I can't now remember my life before I had her - it seems to have been lived by someone else."

Mrs. Darwin

Let's continue to look at language for a minute.

Select any three poems at random.

  • Do you see anything in common about these poems, in relation to style?
  • Does anything stand out to you about the way she writes?
  • Do any words in particular stand out to you?
  • What are your first thoughts/impressions about her content?

7 April 1852

Went to the Zoo.

I said to Him--

Something about that Chimpanzee over there reminds me of you.

from "The World's Wife" (1999): a collection of poems from the perspectives of the wives of various famous men

"A poem is a time capsule, a Tardis so much bigger on the inside than it seems on the outside."

Consider the last quote by Duffy, about the use of simple language.

Pick any one of the poems in the packet; is she being honest, in your opinion? Is she using simple words?

Interview with Duffy in The Guardian in 2015

"Carol Ann Duffy has often spoken about poetry as an everyday event and not as a special occasion. She wants us to enjoy poetry, to have as much as we like, to be able to help ourselves to a good, fresh supply, to let poetry be as daily as talking – because poetry is talking. Words begin in the mouth before they hit the page. Speech is older than writing, and poetry is as old as speech. Poems are best spoken to get the full weight and taste of the words and the run of the lines. Difficult poems become easier when spoken."

Related to her desire to bring poetry to the people, so to speak, publishes in a variety of texts and media and about everyday topics as well...like David Beckham's torn tendons (https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/mar/16/carol-ann-duffy-david-beckham) and problems with the Royal Mail.

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