Carol+Ann+Duffy

CAROL ANN DUFFY Born in 1955 to a Scottish father and Irish mother Her childhood was spent briefly in Glasgow, then her family relocated to Stafford Her parents were Roman Catholic socialists Oldest of five children 1977: Received a degree in philosophy from Liverpool University First job: writing for television shows 1982-1984: C. Day Lewis Fellowship to work as a writer-in-residence in East End schools of London from 1982 and 1984. Has a daughter, Ella, with Peter Benson (writer) Currently a teacher at Manchester Metropolitan University Entered/judged poetry competitions Given readings in schools/lit festivals Had a long term relationship with Jackie Kay
 * Personal Background **

**What People Say About Her** Interviews: known for frankness, straightforward <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">"the debut of a genuine and original poet". <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">‘Feisty, nosy, tough” <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Praised for her storytelling (her works have been called "minutely compressed novels") the way she 'inhabits' her characters, memorably described by novelist Charlotte Mendelson as "ventriloquism".

//<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">"She is 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." // //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">—Prime Minister Gordon Brown. (BBC, May 1, 2009) //

//<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Carol Ann Duffy has been the most popular living poet in Britain, her sales greatly helped by the fact that she has succeeded Hughes and Larkin as the most common representative of contemporary poetry in schools." // //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">—Journalist John Mullen (The Guardian) //

modern-day: writes in accessible common language, feminist messages prevalent, reflecting the growth of feminism in the mid 20th century to present day
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Time Period **

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Interesting Fact: the first poem that Carol Ann Duffy memorized at the age of ten was John Keats' 'Ode to a Nightingale' Post modernism, post structuralism <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Early interest in the Romantics and her journey through Modernist and Surrealist practicesWordsworth – demotic, everyday language <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Philip Larkin – nostalgia, dry humour <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Dean Thomas – elements of surrealism <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Shakespeare - sonnet, dramatic monologue <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Everyday events (writes about stuff such as the death of the First World War veteran Harry Patch, about MPs’ expenses and, most recently, about David Beckham, flooding in Cockermouth) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Memories - “ But I do think memory is a very important thing for writers and for poets in particular.” <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Her mother May - “entrancing” storyteller who died four years ago, was the force behind Carol Ann’s decision to become a poet. Her Irish syntax and voice music started Duffy's love of words. Carol Ann inherited from her mother a passion for language, as she would often make up rhymes for her children.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Influence on her writing **


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Literary Contributions **

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Wrote children’s books, plays (including adaptations of Grimm’s fairytales for the stage), poems

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Age 16 – published poetry (in pamphlet form) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">1983 – Won first prize for the National Poetry Competition (Whoever She Was)\ <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">First volume of poetry – Standing Female Nude <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The World’s Wife (1999) – first brought her mass appeal

__<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Major Themes of Works: __ <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Language and the representation of reality <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The construction of the self <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Gender issues <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Contemporary culture <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Different forms of alienation, oppression and social inequality


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Writing Style **

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Simplistic - “I realised the importance of saying difficult things in simple language.” <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Everyday, conversational writing Minute details of everyday life <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Humor with serious insight and social commentary <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Acclaimed for characterisation, timing and dialogue, use of the dramatic monologue <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Incorporation of slang


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Significant Works (Key Quotations) **

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> "Standing Female Nude" (1985) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> "Selling Manhattan" (1987) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> "The Other Country" (1990) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">"Mean Time"-won the Forward Poetry Award and Whitbread Poetry Award in 1993 <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> "The World's Wife" (1999) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> "The Feminine Gospels" (2002) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> "Rapture" (2005)

__<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Valentine __ <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">﻿"Not a red rose or a satin heart. I give you an onion." ("Valentine", Duffy 1-2)

__<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Standing Female Nude __ <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Humor, serious insights, social commentary <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Female perspective <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">“The bourgeosie will coo at such an image of a river-whore. They call it Art.” <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Diverging from previous works; more emotional, serious

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">First female Poet Laureate, breakthrough for the male-dominated poetry world <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Significant in contemporary British poetry <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">One of Britain’s most loved and successful contemporary poets <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Her works are part of the A Level GSCE curriculum in the UK
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Influence on the world **

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Poems: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Acclaimed for her outstanding skill in characterisation, timing and dialogue, particularly in her use of the dramatic monologue <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Acutely sensitive and empathetic - places herself into the mindset of each character and articulates the respective points of view in the idiom of the characters’ own speech <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Incorporates humour with serious insights and social commentary


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Bibliography **

<span style="direction: ltr; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 1.92pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.3in; unicode-bidi: embed;"> "Carol <!--[if gte mso 10]> "Carol Ann Duffy." //BBC//. 4 Jan. 2010. Web. 14 Nov. 2010. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/content/articles/2006/04/04/local_heroes_carol_ann_duffy_feature.shtml>. "Carol Ann Duffy." The Poetry Archive. 2006. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. <http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/singlePoet.do?poetId=11468>. Cash, Peter. //Carol Ann Duffy//. English Association Bookmarks, 2007. PDF Goodwin, Daisy. "Carol Ann Duffy: The Original Good Line Girl." //The Times | UK News, World News and// //Opinion//. 3 May 2009. Web. 8 Nov. 2010. <http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article6210786.ece>. Kellaway, Kate. "Observer Review: Rapture by Carol Ann Duffy | Books | The Observer." //Latest News,// //Comment and Reviews from the Guardian//. 9 Oct. 2005. Web. 7 Nov. 2010. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2005/oct/09/poetry.features>. Levy, Glen. "Carol Ann Duffy." TIME.com. 1 May 2009. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. <http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1895276,00.html>. Lyall, Sarah. "After 341 Years, British Poet Laureate Is a Woman." The New York Times. 1 May 2009. Web. 9 Nov. 2010. <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/02/world/europe/02poet.html?_r=1>. Moore, Andrew. "Carol Ann Duffy - Poems." //Teachit.co.uk - English Teaching Resources//. 2004. Web. 13 Nov. 2010. <http://www.teachit.co.uk/armoore/poetry/duffy.htm>. O'Reilly, Elizabeth. "Carol Ann Duffy." //Contemporary Writers in the UK - Contemporary Writers//. 2008. Web. 6 Nov. 2010. <http://www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/?p=auth104>. Padel, Ruth. "Rapture, By Carol Ann Duffy- Review." //The Independent Newspaper//. 16 Sept. 2005. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. <http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/rapture-by-carol- ann-duffy-506949.html>. Preston, John. "Carol Ann Duffy Interview." //Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph Online, Daily Telegraph and// //Sunday Telegraph//. 11 May 2010. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/7692436/Carol-Ann-Duffy-interview.html>. Savage, Mark. "Profile: Carol Ann Duffy." BBC News. 1 May 2009. Web. 13 Nov. 2010. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8022790.stm>.