Britain appoints first woman to Poet Laureate role

May 1, 2009, 13:16 GMT

London - A feminist writer who rose to fame from a humble working class background was Friday named the first female Poet Laureate in Britain in the post's 341-year history.

For the next 10 years, Carol Ann Duffy, 53, will be commissioned to write poetry for royal occasions, following a tradition that has included such great names as William Wordsworth, Alfred Lord Tennyson and John Betjemen.

For Duffy, 53, her appointment is a case of second time lucky: In 1999, then Prime Minister Tony Blair allegedly ruled her out because of her sexuality as Duffy at the time lived with a fellow female poet.

She has a daughter from a previous marriage.

On Friday Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who made the appointment, praised Duffy - who like Brown is from Scotland - as a 'truly brilliant modern poet who has stretched our imaginations by putting the whole range of human experiences into lines that capture the emotions perfectly.'

Duffy said she was thrilled by the appointment which she regarded as a 'recognition of the great woman poets we have writing now.'

Duffy, from Glasgow, has described her upbringing as 'left-wing, Catholic, working class.' She teaches creative writing at Manchester Metropolitan University.

She had her first works published in pamphlet form at the age of 16 and has described poetry as a 'secular prayer.'

The poet is best known for her collection The World's Wife (1999), in which she looks at major historical events through the eyes of long-forgotten female participants.

She has not shied away from tackling subjects like murder and back-street abortion, and has a keen eye for the minutiae of daily life.

'Poetry is all around around us, all of the time,' she said Friday, adding that she wanted to contribute to people's understanding 'of what poetry can do and where it can be found.'