From the Anglo-Saxon Deor to the very recent Duffy there have been many poets within the Royal Household but to date 21 of them have been official Poets Laureate with a warrant from the Crown. Their tale begins in the City in 1668 with John Dryden and since then the tension between artistic expression and writing “to order” has caused difficulties for many. I’ll be talking about about the office, the poets, their approaches to the role and how politics has been inextricably involved.
Can be delivered virtually or in person.
