poet laureate
- Key People:
- Stanley Kunitz
- Ted Kooser
- Related Topics:
- English literature
- American literature
- Notable Honorees:
- Louise Glück
- Tracy K. Smith
- Donald Hall
poet laureate, title first granted in England in the 17th century for poetic excellence. Its holder is a salaried member of the British royal household, but the post no longer has specific poetic duties. A similar position was created in the United States in 1936, and many other countries appoint a poet laureate or the similar position of a national poet. The title of the office stems from a tradition, dating to ancient Greece and Rome, of honoring achievement with a crown of laurel, a tree that was sacred to the god Apollo, who was the patron of poets. (For poets who have held the title, see List of Poets Laureate of Britain and List of Poets Laureate of the United States.)
(Read former U.S. poet laureate Howard Nemerov’s Britannica essay on poetry.)
The British poet laureate
Poet’s pension: 100 marks and a “butt of Canary wine”
The British office of poet laureate is remarkable for its continuity. It began in 1616 with a pension that was granted to Ben Jonson by King James I. Jonson was paid 100 marks (about £66) per year in quarterly installments; much to his dismay his payments were frequently late. In 1630 Jonson’s pension was confirmed and increased by Charles I, who added an annual “butt of Canary wine” (i.e., a barrel of sherry) to the payment. (The wine portion was discontinued at the request of Henry James Pye—made laureate in 1790—who preferred the equivalent in money.) Jonson’s pension specifically recognized his services to the crown as a poet and envisaged their continuance, but not until 16 months after Jonson’s death in August 1637 was a pension for similar services granted to Sir William Davenant. It was with John Dryden’s appointment, within a week of Davenant’s death in April 1668, that the laureateship was recognized as an established royal office to be filled automatically when it became vacant.
From oaths of allegiance to “no specific duties”
In 1813 Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott was offered the role of poet laureate of Britain, but he turned it down because he did not want to write on demand.
During the Glorious Revolution (1688–89), Dryden was dismissed for refusing the oath of allegiance to the king, and this gave the appointment a political flavor, which it retained for more than 200 years. Dryden’s successor, Thomas Shadwell, inaugurated the custom of producing New Year and birthday odes; this hardened into a tradition between 1690 and about 1820, becoming the principal mark of the office. The odes were set to music and performed in the sovereign’s presence. On his appointment in 1813, Robert Southey sought unsuccessfully to end this custom. Although it was allowed tacitly to lapse, it was only finally abolished by Queen Victoria. In 1843 she appointed William Wordsworth, who accepted the role under the condition that nothing would be required of him. This signified that the laureateship had become the reward for eminence in poetry. Ever since the office has carried no specific duties.
In modern times, the sitting poet laureate of Britain receives a gift of a barrel of sherry (about 720 bottles), with a label designed uniquely for each poet.
The laureates from Alfred Tennyson (appointed in 1850) onward have written poems for royal and national occasions as the spirit has moved them. Andrew Motion was the first British poet laureate to serve a fixed term, of 10 years (1999–2009). His successor, Carol Ann Duffy, became the first woman appointed to the position. The custom of bestowing the British poet laureate with a butt of sherry was revived in 1984, upon Ted Hughes’s appointment.
The American poet laureate
“Consultant in poetry”
English poet Stephen Spender was the first non-American to hold the role (appointed in 1965) of consultant in poetry for the U.S. Library of Congress.
In the United States, a position similar to that of the British poet laureate—the chair of poetry at the Library of Congress—was established in 1936 by an endowment from the author Archer M. Huntington. Officially known as “consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress,” the holder served as a collections specialist and a resident scholar in poetry and literature, similar to that of a reference librarian. The first poet to be appointed to this role was Joseph Auslander. Conrad Aiken and Reed Whittemore held the role twice. Louise Bogan, appointed in 1945, was the first woman to hold the role, and Robert Hayden (appointed in 1976) and Gwendolyn Brooks (appointed in 1985) were the first Black male poet and Black female poet, respectively, to serve as consultants. William Carlos Williams was appointed to the role in 1952, but his poor health prevented him from serving; his appointment was later revoked, during an FBI investigation driven by anti-communist sentiment.
The U.S. poet laureateship becomes official
In 1985 the U.S. government created a title of poet laureate, to be held by the same person who holds the post of consultant in poetry. Technically, the Library of Congress deems only those who have held the role created in 1985 to have served as a poet laureate. The term typically lasts for one year, although several poets have served two terms; three terms have occurred under special circumstances. The first person appointed to this position was Robert Penn Warren, who had previously served as consultant in 1944–45. Other significant firsts in the U.S. poets laureateship include:
- First woman: Mona Van Duyn (1992–93)
- First African American: Rita Dove (1993–95)
- First Native American: Joy Harjo (2019–22)
- First Hispanic American: Juan Felipe Herrera (2015–17)
- First Hispanic American woman: Ada Limón (2022– )
The American poet laureate receives a modest stipend and is expected to present one major poetic work and to appear at certain national ceremonies. For example, Harjo’s signature project, “Living Nations, Living Words,” features samples of work by 47 Native American poets incorporated into an interactive map that includes audio recordings and images.
Other poets laureate
In 2017 the organization Urban Word created the position of the National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States for people between 13 and 19 years old, naming Amanda Gorman as the inaugural poet. The poet is selected through a competition and is supported by a number of organizations, including the Library of Congress, the Academy of American Poets, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Many other countries, such as New Zealand, Wales, and South Africa, select a national poet or a poet laureate. It is also very common for individual regions, states, and cities to designate a poet laureate.