Carol Ann Duffy was named Poet Laureate on Friday, the first woman to hold the title in the post's 341-year history. The 53-year-old, born in Glasgow, Scotland, said she had thought “long and hard” about accepting the position, seen by some as a poisoned chalice due to the public scrutiny that comes with it. Duffy was firm favourite to take over the role from Andrew Motion, who has stepped down after completing a 10-year tenure. The royal post, held by the likes of John Dryden, William Wordsworth and, before Motion, Ted Hughes, used to be for life, but Duffy, like Motion, will hold it for 10 years. “I look on it as a recognition of the great women poets we have writing now,” Duffy told BBC Radio. “I've decided to accept it for that reason.” Prime Minister Gordon Brown called her “a truly brilliant modern poet who has stretched our imaginations by putting the whole range of human experiences into lines that capture the emotions perfectly.” The new appointment is likely to reignite debate among literary circles over whether Britain really needs a Poet Laureate, who is expected to compose poems to mark major state occasions and other national events. The post is seen as a difficult one. Motion, generally viewed as a successful laureate for actively promoting verse, complained last year of suffering from writer's block.
