Professor_of_Poetry

Professor of Poetry

Professor of Poetry

Academic appointment at the University of Oxford

The Professor of Poetry is an academic appointment at the University of Oxford. The chair was created in 1708 by an endowment from the estate of Henry Birkhead.[1] The professorship carries an obligation to deliver an inaugural lecture; give one public lecture each term on a suitable literary subject; offer one additional event each term (which may include poetry readings, workshops, hosted events, etc.); deliver the Creweian Oration at Encaenia every other year; each year, to be one of the judges for the Newdigate Prize, the Jon Stallworthy Prize, the Lord Alfred Douglas Prize and the Chancellor's English Essay Prize; every third year, to help judge the English poem on a sacred subject prize; and generally to encourage the art of poetry in the University.

The professor is appointed to a single four-year term. The Professor of Poetry Committee produces a shortlist of applicants to stand for election by members of the University of Oxford's Convocation. Convocation consists of members of the faculty (Congregation) both current and retired, and former student members of the university who have been admitted to a degree (other than an honorary degree). In 2010, on-line voting was allowed for the first time.[2] The Professor of Poetry receives a stipend (£25,000 per annum as of 2023) which is increased in line with the annual cost-of-living increases for academic and related staff, plus £40 for each Creweian Oration.

Since 1708, 47 persons have been elected to the position including many prominent poets and academics. Alice Oswald, who was Professor of Poetry from 2019 to 2023, was the first woman to hold this post, although not the first woman elected to it, which was Ruth Padel, who resigned after nine days without fulfilling the obligations of the post. She was succeeded in 2023 by AE Stallings.

The elections typically attract media attention and involve campaigning by proponents of quite diverse candidates. In the past, both practising poets and academic critics have been chosen.

2009 election

On 16 May 2009, Ruth Padel defeated the Indian poet Arvind Mehrotra to become the first woman elected to the post since its inception in 1708.[3] The Nobel Prize-winning candidate Derek Walcott had withdrawn his candidacy, following what he called a "low and degrading" campaign against him,[4] after The Sunday Times and Cherwell revealed that around 100 Oxford academics had been sent, anonymously, photocopied pages from The Lecherous Professor, a University of Illinois publication on the prevalence of sexual harassment in American universities, describing two such accusations made against Walcott at Harvard University and Boston University.[3][4][5] Walcott's candidacy had been controversial within the university from the beginning, some counselling against on grounds of Walcott's university past, others arguing that his record was immaterial since he would have no contact with students.[citation needed] Newspapers had previously claimed Walcott was the favourite,[3] although Libby Purves suggested that this claim was based on a misunderstanding of the electoral system.[6] Padel criticised the anonymous missives and denied any knowledge of them, though many in the media continued to insinuate her involvement.[5] After her election, two journalists who had previously requested information from Padel regarding voters' opinions revealed that she had cited to them the source of some people's unease about the suitability for appointment of someone with such a university record.[7][8] Padel stated, "I wish he had not pulled out",[9] and resigned on 25 May only nine days after her election.[10]

Letters to British newspapers criticised media handling of the election. An open letter to the Times Literary Supplement[11] complained of unfair media pursuit of Walcott's past, a letter in The Guardian complained of unjust denigration of Padel, claiming she was "justly held in high regard" for her poetry and teaching,[12][13] and a letter to The Times claimed that "Oxford has missed out for the worst of reasons". "One can only speculate why so many male voices were loud in condemning Padel but silent with respect to Walcott. I attended a course taught by Ruth Padel: she was inspirational, involved, enthusiastic and interested in her students. Perhaps it was unwise of her to email journalists but if Walcott's past is 'irrelevant to his suitability to fill the post of Professor of Poetry', so is Padel's 'unwisdom'. That Walcott removed the decision from the electorate was his own choice. Padel should not have been made to pay for his decision to confront neither his accusers nor his past."[14] American commentators attributed the series of events to an assumption on the part of academics and writers that a gender war was behind it all,[15] perceiving a "split across the Atlantic - with the Americans, the ones after all working with Walcott over the decades, taking those claims much more seriously"[16][17]

Some commentators in Britain supported Padel, attributing the smear campaign in the media to misogyny[6] and networking. "The old boys have closed in on her," the poet Jackie Kay stated.[18][19] On Newsnight Review the poet Simon Armitage and poetry writer Josephine Hart expressed regret about Padel's resignation. "Ruth's a good person," Armitage said. "She dipped a toe in the media whirlpool and it dragged her down. I don't think she should have resigned; she would have been good." The election was for a post beginning the first day of Michaelmas Term 2009, hence Padel did not take up office.[20] In the 2010 election she supported Geoffrey Hill.[21]

2010 election

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On 7 May 2010, the university, having changed its system of voting to embrace online voters, confirmed that Paula Claire, Geoffrey Hill, Michael Horovitz, Steve Larkin, Chris Mann and seven others had been nominated as candidates for the position.[22]

Paula Claire, the only woman standing, announced her withdrawal on 7 June 2010, citing concerns about the fairness of the election, which were dismissed by the university authorities.[23]

On 18 June, Geoffrey Hill was declared elected.[24][25] He received 1,156 votes; the next highest number, 353, went to Michael Horovitz.[26][27]

2015 election

On 19 June 2015, Simon Armitage was elected as Geoffrey Hill's successor.[28]

Persons elected to the position (1708–present)

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References

  1. [1]
    "Birkhead, Henry" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
  2. [2]
    Mcgrath, Charles (9 December 2009). "Oxford Institutes a New Election Process for Its Poetry Post". The New York Times.
  3. [3]
    "Padel becomes Oxford Professor of Poetry". The Irish Times. 16 May 2009. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
  4. [4]
    "Bittersweet victory for Ruth Padel". The Independent. London. 17 May 2009. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  5. [5]
    Harrison, David (16 May 2009). "Ruth Padel's win 'poisoned' by smear campaign". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
  6. [6]
    Purves, Libby (18 May 2009). "A familiar reek of misogyny and mistrust". The Times. London.
  7. [7]
    Woods, Richard (24 May 2009). "Call for Oxford poet to resign after sex row". The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved 25 May 2009.
  8. [8]
    Khan, Urmee; Eden, Richard (24 May 2009). "Ruth Padel under pressure to resign Oxford post over emails about rival poet Derek Walcott". Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
  9. [9]
    Lovell, Rebecca (26 May 2009). "Hay festival diary: Ruth Padel talks about the poetry professorship scandal". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
  10. [10]
    "Oxford professor of poetry resigns". The Guardian. London. 25 May 2009. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
  11. [11]
    Al Alvarez, Alan Brownjohn, Carmen Bugan, David Constantine, Elizabeth Cook, Robert Conquest, Jonty Driver, Seamus Heaney, Jenny Joseph, Patrick Kavanagh, Grevel Lindop, Patrick McGuinness, Lucy Newlyn, Bernard O'Donoghue, Michael Schmidt, Jon Stallworthy, Michael Suarez, Don Thomas, Anthony Thwaite, 'Oxford Professor of Poetry', Times Literary Supplement, 3 June 2009, p. 6.
  12. [12]
    [‘Don’t wrong Ruth Padel’, Letters, The Guardian 28 May 2009]
  13. [13]
    Higgins, Charlotte (29 May 2009). "Hay cuts". The Guardian. London.
  14. [14]
    ["Poetry's Loss," The Times Letters, 29 May 2009, http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/sitesearch.do?querystring=letters+poetry&p=tto&pf=all ]
  15. [15]
    Halford, Macy (7 January 2009). "The Book Bench: Oxford's Gender Trouble". The New Yorker. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  16. [16]
    "Search". The New Yorker.
  17. [17]
    Gardner, Suzanne (26 May 2009). "Ruth Padel resigns, but the "gender war" rages on | Quillblog | Quill & Quire". Quillandquire.com. Archived from the original on 1 June 2009. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  18. [18]
    "Ruth Padel resigns, but the "gender war" rages on | Quill & Quire". Archived from the original on 1 June 2009. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  19. [19]
    McCrum, Robert (31 May 2009). "Who dares to follow in Ruth's footsteps?". The Guardian. London.
  20. [20]
    "Election of Professor of Poetry, Convocation, 16th May 2009". University of Oxford. 26 May 2009. Archived from the original on 10 May 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  21. [21]
    "Newsnight: From the web team". BBC. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
  22. [22]
    "List of nominees". Oxford University website. 7 May 2010. Archived from the original on 9 May 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  23. [23]
    Flood, Alison (9 June 2010). "Oxford poetry professor candidate withdraws as controversy erupts again". The Guardian. London.
  24. [24]
    Woolcock, Nicola (25 March 2010). "Geoffrey Hill nominated Professor of Poetry at Oxford after scandal". The Times. London.
  25. [25]
    Flood, Alison (18 June 2010). "Geoffrey Hill wins Oxford Professor of Poetry election by landslide". The Guardian. London.
  26. [26]
    "Geoffrey Hill triumphs as Professor of Poetry - University of Oxford". Archived from the original on 27 June 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
  27. [27]
    Itzkoff, Dave (18 June 2010). "Geoffrey Hill Is Oxford's Next Professor of Poetry". The New York Times.
  28. [28]
    Flood, Alison (19 June 2015). "Simon Armitage wins Oxford professor of poetry election". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  29. [29]
    University of Oxford, About the University: Past Professors of Poetry Archived 1 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  30. [30]
    "What does Oxford's professor of poetry do?", BBC News Magazine, 26 May 2009. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  31. [31]
    Newman, Gerald, and Brown, Leslie Ellen (editors), Britain in the Hanoverian Age, 1714-1837: An Encyclopedia (London: Taylor & Francis, 1997), 745–746.
  32. [32]
    Liddon, Henry Parry, Chapter XXVII: Visit to Ireland—The Jerusalem Bishopric—The Poetry Professorship—Friendly Remonstrances. 1841–1842., Life of Edward Bouverie Pusey, Volume 2 (London: Longmans, 1894), quote: "Mr. Garbett's name had not been in the first instance suggested by any purely literary anxiety to provide for the discharge of the duties of the Poetry chair". Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  33. [33]
    The Nobel Prize in Literature 1995. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  34. [34]
    Obituary: Heaney ‘the most important Irish poet since Yeats’, Irish Times, 30 August 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  35. [35]
    Contemporarywriters.com, Professor James Fenton — British Council Literature. Retrieved 4 February 2014. Archived 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  36. [36]
    Simon Armitage - Biography Retrieved 1 December 2022.

Further reading

  • Ricks, Christopher (2009) "Oxford University Professorship of Poetry": English Faculty news; issue 2, pp. 4-6
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