Friday, October 09, 2009


T S Eliot is 'Nation's Favourite Poet'
08.10.09 Katie Allen The Bookseller

T S Eliot has beaten 30 other poets including poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and John Donne to Nation's Favourite Poet in a poll launched as part of BBC Poetry Season.
The results were announced as part of National Poetry Day today (8th October). More than 18,000 people voted.
The entirely male top 10 in order comprises: T S Eliot, John Donne, Benjamin Zephaniah, Wilfred Owen, Philip Larkin, William Blake, William Butler Yeats, John Betjeman, John Keats and Dylan Thomas.
Alan Yentob, creative director of the BBC said: "I'm delighted that T S Eliot has topped the poll for the Nation's Favourite Poet. I have been an admirer of Eliot's poetry since I was a child. . . It's been rewarding and exhilarating for all of us at the BBC to be able to share a love of poetry with such a wide audience. . .
"While the results demonstrate a growing interest in contemporary poetry, it's good to see that the classic texts still hold a strong place in people's affections."
Two documentaries on The Wasteland poet and Faber publisher will be broadcast this evening; an "Arena" special on BBC4 and "My Life in Verse" with comedian Robert Webb on BBC2.

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