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Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine

Eyewear congratulates Professor Don Paterson, Scotland's leading male poet, on his youthful win of the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry. He must be one of the youngest winners - it's an honour often reserved for elder poets.

The poet put forward must have the laureate's blessing, and Scotland's leading female poet, Carol Ann Duffy, clearly felt an affinity. Besides the Scottish, Picador and generational links, Duffy and Paterson were key mainstream poets of the 90s and 00s who saw off the threat of Heaney and Muldoon and created a new populist vernacular style.

Paterson, who doesn't - judging by his editorial and critical writings - much like the poetry of Dylan Thomas, Prynne, or amateur and anti-war poets, is as admired in the UK as he is controversial. Is he the new king of the cats or prince in waiting? Surely, his North American reputation is set to grow. I predict he will win the Nobel Prize for literature before 2020.
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Comments

Jeffrey Side said…
Bizarre! Obviously Carol pulled a few strings for him.
Sat Jan 02, 04:44:00 pm 2010
Anonymous said…
Carol Ann Duffy CBE OBE, decides Don Patterson OBE, is worthiest winner of the Queen's Gold Medal.

Hmm, is it me being thick, or is it a fact that these two highness loving luvvies know their place in the grander scheme, and are being a useful and tiny cog on Her Majesty's behalf?

Would a non-highness loving working-class radical who chose not to endorse the Crown, ever be rewarded with all the gongs by their peers in the way the author of God's Gift To Women, is?

He doesn't like 'amatuer' poets and is dead dead serious about his own stuff that his pals with OBE's wax orgasmically over. And it is interesting to note, poets like Sir Andrew, will be remembered long after they are acting no more in the realm of light and life, hey?

Happy new year.

Swords, Earl of Desmond
Sun Jan 03, 12:35:00 pm 2010
Anonymous said…
I don't think it's bizarre at all. He's spent years sucking up to the establishment.
Mon Jan 04, 11:01:00 am 2010
Jeffrey Side said…
I meant the concept of the award is bizarre.
Mon Jan 04, 12:25:00 pm 2010
leah fritz said…
As poets we have to look away from all this pomp. It's nice that Carol Ann Duffy is willing to play that role, and I wish her happiness and good work for the next decade. I'm not familiar with the poems of Don Paterson or his opinions. Perhaps one day I'll get around to reading them, but right now I have too many fine poets to contemplate. The one who has this blog, for instance. And somebody just put me on to Wallace Stevens. And then there's my own stuff. The world is in one fine mess. Who cares about the politics of the poetry scene?
Wed Jan 06, 11:05:00 am 2010
Anonymous said…
Rain is a bit thin (watery, wet, etc). Though I'd like to reserve judgement until I've read it again. Nil Nil was great, and there was good stuff later. The honour is pish and air, a fair fit for verse, perhaps.

But good to see you posting Todd, and I hope the new year treats you kindly.
Fri Jan 08, 11:53:00 pm 2010
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