poet laureate (lô`rēĭt), title conferred in Britain by the monarch on a poet whose duty it is to write commemorative odes and verse. It is an outgrowth of the medieval English custom of having versifiers and minstrels in the king's retinue, and of the later royal patronage of poets, such as Chaucer Chaucer, Geoffrey (jĕf`rē chô`sər), c.
..... Click the link for more information. and Spenser Spenser, Edmund, 1552?–1599, English poet, b. London. He was the friend of men eminent in literature and at court, including Gabriel Harvey, Sir Philip Sidney, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Robert Sidney, earl of Leicester.
..... Click the link for more information. . Ben Jonson Jonson, Ben, 1572–1637, English dramatist and poet, b. Westminster, London. The high-spirited buoyancy of Jonson's plays and the brilliance of his language have earned him a reputation as one of the great playwrights in English literature.
..... Click the link for more information. seems to have had what amounted to the laureateship from Charles I in 1617, but the present title, adopted from the Greek and Roman custom of crowning with a wreath of laurel, was first given to John Dryden Dryden, John, 1631–1700, English poet, dramatist, and critic, b. Northamptonshire, grad. Cambridge, 1654. He went to London about 1657 and first came to public notice with his Heroic Stanzas (1659), commemorating the death of Oliver Cromwell.
..... Click the link for more information. in 1670.

Dryden's successors have been Thomas Shadwell Shadwell, Thomas, 1642?–1692, English dramatist and poet. His plays, written in the tradition of Jonson's comedy of humours, are distinguished for their realistic pictures of London life and for their frank and witty dialogue.
..... Click the link for more information. (1688–92), Nahum Tate Tate, Nahum (nā`həm), 1652–1715, English poet and dramatist, b. Dublin.
..... Click the link for more information. (1692–1715), Nicholas Rowe Rowe, Nicholas (rō), 1674–1718, English dramatist.
..... Click the link for more information. (1715–18), Laurence Eusden (1718–30), Colley Cibber Theophilus Cibber, 1703–58, and his daughter,

Charlotte (Cibber) Clarke, d. 1760?, went on the stage with some success, earning wild and eccentric reputations in the tradition of the family.
..... Click the link for more information. (1730–57), William Whitehead Whitehead, William, 1715–85, English poet and playwright. He wrote several plays based on ancient Greek models, including Creusa, Queen of Athens (1754). Whitehead was appointed poet laureate in 1757.
..... Click the link for more information. (1757–85), Thomas Warton Warton, Thomas, 1728–90, English poet and literary historian, grad. Trinity College, Oxford (1747), brother of Joseph Warton. He was ordained and eventually served as professor of poetry at Oxford from 1757 to 1767.
..... Click the link for more information. (1785–90), Henry Pye (1790–1813), Robert Southey Southey, Robert (sou`thē, sŭth`ē), 1774–1843, English author.
..... Click the link for more information. (1813–43), William Wordsworth Wordsworth, William, 1770–1850, English poet, b. Cockermouth, Cumberland. One of the great English poets, he was a leader of the romantic movement in England.

Life and Works

In 1791 he graduated from Cambridge and traveled abroad.
..... Click the link for more information. (1843–50), Alfred, Lord Tennyson Tennyson, Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron (tĕn`ĭsən)
..... Click the link for more information. (1850–92), Alfred Austin Austin, Alfred, 1835–1913, English author, b. Leeds. Originally trained for a legal career, he eventually turned to writing and politics. From 1883–95 he edited the National Review.
..... Click the link for more information. (1892–1913), Robert Bridges Bridges, Robert Seymour, 1844–1930, English poet. In 1882 he abandoned medical practice to devote himself to writing. An excellent metrist, he wrote many beautiful lyrics and longer poems, noted for their refined simplicity and perfection of form.
..... Click the link for more information. (1913–30), John Masefield Masefield, John (mās–), 1878–1967, English poet. He went to sea as a youth and later spent several years in the United States.
..... Click the link for more information. (1930–67), Cecil Day Lewis Day Lewis, C. (Cecil Day Lewis), 1904–72, English author, b. Ireland. While he was still at Oxford, he became associated with a group of leftist poets led by W. H. Auden .
..... Click the link for more information. (1968–72), John Betjeman Betjeman, Sir John (bĕt`jəmən), 1906–84, English poet, b. London.
..... Click the link for more information. (1972–84), Ted Hughes Hughes, Ted (Edward James Hughes), 1930–98, English poet, b. Mytholmyroyd, Yorkshire. Hughes's best poetry focuses on the unsentimental within nature. His poems are marked by controlled diction and style, which create a sense of order and meaning in violent or
..... Click the link for more information. (1984–98), and Andrew Motion (1999–). In recent years the position's ceremonial duties have largely been eliminated, and it is now no longer a lifetime post.

In the United States, the poet laureate is charged with raising "the national consciousness to a greater appreciation of the reading and writing of poetry." An annual position, chosen by the Librarian of Congress, it was instituted in 1937 as the consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress. this position was held by 30 poets before a 1985 act of congress changed the name to poet laureate. In 1986, Robert Penn Warren Warren, Robert Penn, 1905–89, American novelist, poet, and critic, b. Guthrie, Ky., grad. Vanderbilt Univ. 1925; M.A., Univ. of California 1927; B.Litt., Oxford 1930.
..... Click the link for more information. became the first to hold the title in United States. Since then, American poets laureate have been Richard Wilbur Wilbur, Richard, 1921–, American poet and translator, b. New York City, grad. Amherst (B.A., 1942) and Harvard (M.A., 1947). A skillful craftsman who writes gracefully in traditional verse forms, Wilbur is always original, generally affirmative in his view of
..... Click the link for more information. (1987–88), Howard Nemerov Nemerov, Howard (nĕm`ĕrôf), 1920–91, American poet, novelist, and critic, b. New York City, grad.
..... Click the link for more information. (1988–90), Mark Strand Strand, Mark, 1934–, American poet, b. Prince Edward Island, Canada. His poetry is noted for its confrontation with the surreal and irrational. His collections include Sleeping with One Eye Open (1964), Darker (1970), Selected Poems
..... Click the link for more information. (1990–91), Joseph Brodsky Brodsky, Joseph (Iosif Aleksandrovich Brodsky) (brät`skē, bräd`–, Rus.
..... Click the link for more information. (the first foreign-born laureate; 1991–92), Mona Van Duyn (the first woman laureate; 1992–93), Rita Dove Dove, Rita, 1952–, American poet, b. Akron, Ohio. Her first poetry collection, Ten Poems, was published in 1977. Her verse is at once concise, precise, and evocative.
..... Click the link for more information. (the first African-American laureate; 1993–95), Robert Hass (1995–97), Robert Pinsky (1997–2000), Stanley Kunitz Kunitz, Stanley Jasspon (ky
..... Click the link for more information. (2000–2001), Billy Collins (2001–3), Louise Glück (2003–04), Ted Kooser (2004–06), and Donald Hall (2006–).

Bibliography

See K. Hopkins, The Poets Laureate (1954, repr. 1966).

poet laureate

Title first granted in England for poetic excellence. Begun in 1616, the office was formally established in 1668 and has been continuous since then. Its holder, a salaried member of the British royal household, was formerly expected to compose poems for court or national occasions, but since the appointment of William Wordsworth in 1843 the office has been a reward for eminence in poetry and has carried no specific duties. In 1985 the U.S. government created the title of poet laureate, to be held by the consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress.