The work of Carol Ann Duffy, the Poet Laureate, has been compared to “Mills & Boon” authors in a damning attack by the Oxford Professor of Poetry

Duffy, who grew up in a 'bookless house' and is a passionate advocate of poetry teaching in schools, became Poet Laureate in May 2009 Photo: REUTERS/Phil Noble

By James Orr - The Telegrpah -  31 Jan 2012

In a lecture entitled Poetry, Policing and Public Order, Sir Geoffrey Hill criticised the 56-year-old for her eagerness to ‘democratise’ the art form.

The Scottish poet and playwright has previously sparked controversy by arguing children who used social networking sites and text messaging were “perfecting” their poetry skills.

But Sir Geoffrey, who was once widely tipped to receive the Poet Laureateship himself, said she must “consider that she may be wrong”.

Speaking at a lecture in Oxford, Sir Geoffrey referred to an interview Duffy had given to the Guardian in which one of her early poems about the death of an old English teacher was discussed.

He said: “For the common good she is willing to have quoted by the Guardian interviewer several lines from a poem by herself that could be easily be mistaken for a first effort by one of the young people she wishes to encourage.
Full report at The Telegraph.