Jane Dowson Carol Ann Duffy Poet for Our Times Carol Ann Duffy Jane   Dowson Carol Ann Duffy Poet for Our Times Jane   Dowson De Montfort University Leicester, UK ISBN 978-1-137-41562-2 ISBN 978-1-137-41563-9 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-41563-9 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016938778 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2 016 The author(s) has/have asserted their right(s) to be identifi ed as the author(s) of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Macmillan Publishers Ltd. London For Tim I.M. Diana Widdows 1922–2015 A CKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to the staff at The Saison Poetry Library, London and The Scottish Poetry Library, Edinburgh for their invaluable resources and assistance. Profound thanks go to Bernadette Hyland who sourced the article in Manchester’s C ity Life magazine. Robert DiNapoli kindly agrees to my extensive extracts from his valuable article on word-play and poetry. With characteristic generosity, Carol Ann Duffy has granted p ermission to quote extracts from her poems, for which I am hugely grateful. The book could not have been completed without the term’s Research Leave granted by De Montfort University, Leicester or the support of my col- leagues during that time. I thank Andy, Damir, and students on the Contemporary Poetry module for sharing my enthusiasm for this project. For their forbearance and encouragement, my love goes to friends, family and especially Tim, to whom the book is dedicated. It also commemorates the life of my mother who passed on to me her love for poetry. vii A BBREVIATIONS Poetry Volumes by Carol Ann Duffy Bees T he Bees (London: Picador, 2011) FG F eminine Gospels (London: Picador, 2002) MT Mean Time (London: Anvil, 1993) NCPC N ew and Collected Poems for Children (London: Faber & Faber, 2009) Near Near (London: Faber & Faber, 2012) NSP N ew Selected Poems 1984–2004 (London: Picador, 2004) PMP Penguin Modern Poets 2: Carol Ann Duffy, Vicki Feaver, Eavan Boland (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1995) Pamphlet The Pamphlet (London: Anvil, 1998) Rapture Rapture (London: Picador) 2005 RL R itual Lighting: Laureate Poems (London: Picador, 2014) SFN S tanding Female Nude (London: Anvil, 1985) SM Selling Manhattan (London: Anvil, 1987) TOC T he Other Country (London: Anvil, 1990) William William and the Ex-Prime Minister (London: Anvil, 1992) WW T he World’s Wife (London: Macmillan, 1999) PBS P oetry Book Society Bulletin ix