13. nóvember kl. 12:00-13:00 flytur Olga Holownia: „Worried by advent of the lesbian laureate? Carol Ann Duffy: Poetry and gender politics“ í stofu 104 á Háskólatorgi. Fyrirlesturinn fer fram á ensku.

Summary

Poetry rarely makes the headlines. It did in Britain in 1999 when recommendations for the post of Poet Laureate were being considered. Scottish-born poet Carol Ann Duffy was one of the candidates. Had she been chosen, she would have become Britain’s first female Poet Laureate. She lost to Andrew Motion, who, according to the press reports, was considered a ‘safer bet’ by the Labour government. This laureate controversy, summarised in The Sunday Times headline as „Blair worried by advent of the lesbian laureate“, serves as a pretext for my presentation, the aim of which is to discuss Carol Ann Duffy’s role in redressing the gender balance in the contemporary British poetry scene.