Simon Armitage
Encyclopedia
Simon Armitage CBE
(born 26 May 1963, Huddersfield
) is a British poet, playwright, and novelist.
. Armitage first studied at Colne Valley High School, Linthwaite
, Huddersfield and went on to study geography at Portsmouth Polytechnic. He was a post-graduate student at Manchester University where his MA thesis concerned the effects of television violence on young offenders. Until 1994 he worked as Probation Officer in Greater Manchester. He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters in 1996 from the University of Portsmouth. He then lectured on creative writing at the University of Leeds
, the University of Iowa
and the Manchester Metropolitan University
. In February 2011 he took up the position as Professor of Poetry at the University of Sheffield
.
He lives in West Yorkshire.
(1993) and The Dead Sea Poems (1995). He has written two novels, Little Green Man (2001) and The White Stuff (2004), as well as All Points North (1998), a collection of essays on the north of England. He produced a dramatised version of Homer
's Odyssey
and a collection of poetry entitled Tyrannosaurus Rex Versus The Corduroy Kid (which was shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize), both of which were published in July 2006. Many of Armitage's poems appear in the AQA
(Assessment and Qualifications Alliance) GCSE syllabus for English Literature in the United Kingdom. Some of these include: "Homecoming", "November", "Kid", "Hitcher", and a selection of poems from Book of Matches, most notably of these "Mother any distance...". His writing is characterised by a dry, native Yorkshire wit combined with "an accessible, realist style and critical seriousness."
Armitage also writes for radio, television, film and stage. He is the author of four stage plays, including Mister Heracles, a version of Euripides
' The Madness of Heracles. He was commissioned in 2004 by the National Theatre
in London to write Eclipse for the Connections series, a play based on the disappearance of a girl in Hebden Bridge
at the time of the 1999 solar eclipse in Cornwall
. Most recently he wrote the libretto
for an opera scored by Scottish composer Stuart MacRae
, The Assassin Tree, based on a Greek myth recounted in The Golden Bough
. The opera premiered at the 2006 Edinburgh International Festival
, Scotland, before moving to the Royal Opera House
, Covent Garden
, London. Saturday Night (Century Films, BBC2, 1996) – wrote and narrated a fifty minute poetic commentary to a documentary about night-life in Leeds. Directed by Brian Hill. In 2010, Armitage walked the 264 mile Pennine Way
, walking South from Scotland to Derbyshire. Along the route he stopped to give poetry readings, often in exchange for donations of money, food or accommodation and is writing a book about his journey.Pennine Way activities on Armitage's website
He has received numerous awards for his poetry, including The Sunday Times
Author of the Year, a Forward Prize, a Lannan Award, and an Ivor Novello Award for his song lyrics in the Channel 4
film Feltham Sings. Kid and CloudCuckooLand were short-listed for the Whitbread poetry prize
. The Dead Sea Poems was short-listed for the Whitbread, the Forward Poetry Prize
and the T. S. Eliot Prize
. The Universal Home Doctor was also short-listed for the T.S. Eliot. In 2000, he was the UK's official Millennium Poet and went on to judge the 2005 Griffin Poetry Prize
, the 2006 Man Booker Prize for Fiction
and the 2010 Manchester Poetry Prize
.
In 2004, Armitage was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
and was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2010 Birthday Honours. He is a vice president of the Poetry Society
and a patron of the Arvon Foundation
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 26 May 1963, Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
) is a British poet, playwright, and novelist.
Life and career
Simon Armitage was born in Marsden, West YorkshireMarsden, West Yorkshire
Marsden is a large village within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, west of Huddersfield and located at the confluence of the River Colne and the Wessenden Brook...
. Armitage first studied at Colne Valley High School, Linthwaite
Linthwaite
Linthwaite is a village in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated 4 miles west of Huddersfield, on the A62 in the Colne Valley...
, Huddersfield and went on to study geography at Portsmouth Polytechnic. He was a post-graduate student at Manchester University where his MA thesis concerned the effects of television violence on young offenders. Until 1994 he worked as Probation Officer in Greater Manchester. He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters in 1996 from the University of Portsmouth. He then lectured on creative writing at the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
, the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
and the Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University is a university in North West England. Its headquarters and central campus is in the city of Manchester, but there are outlying facilities in the county of Cheshire. It is the third largest university in the United Kingdom in terms of student numbers, behind the...
. In February 2011 he took up the position as Professor of Poetry at the University of Sheffield
University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original 'red brick' universities and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities...
.
He lives in West Yorkshire.
Writing
Armitage's poetry collections include Book of MatchesBook of matches
Book Of Matches is a poetry book written by Simon Armitage. It was first published in 1993 by Faber and Faber. Several poems featured in the book are studied as part of the GCSE English Literature examination in the UK.- The Book :...
(1993) and The Dead Sea Poems (1995). He has written two novels, Little Green Man (2001) and The White Stuff (2004), as well as All Points North (1998), a collection of essays on the north of England. He produced a dramatised version of Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
's Odyssey
Odyssey
The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work ascribed to Homer. The poem is fundamental to the modern Western canon, and is the second—the Iliad being the first—extant work of Western literature...
and a collection of poetry entitled Tyrannosaurus Rex Versus The Corduroy Kid (which was shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize), both of which were published in July 2006. Many of Armitage's poems appear in the AQA
AQA
AQA could refer to or stand for:* aqa, the ISO 639-5 for the unspecified Alacalufan languages* Any Question Answered – an SMS message service providing the answer to any question, based in London, United Kingdom....
(Assessment and Qualifications Alliance) GCSE syllabus for English Literature in the United Kingdom. Some of these include: "Homecoming", "November", "Kid", "Hitcher", and a selection of poems from Book of Matches, most notably of these "Mother any distance...". His writing is characterised by a dry, native Yorkshire wit combined with "an accessible, realist style and critical seriousness."
Armitage also writes for radio, television, film and stage. He is the author of four stage plays, including Mister Heracles, a version of Euripides
Euripides
Euripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...
' The Madness of Heracles. He was commissioned in 2004 by the National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
in London to write Eclipse for the Connections series, a play based on the disappearance of a girl in Hebden Bridge
Hebden Bridge
Hebden Bridge is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the Upper Calder Valley and lies 8 miles west of Halifax and 14 miles north east of Rochdale, at the confluence of the River Calder and the River Hebden .A 2004 profile of...
at the time of the 1999 solar eclipse in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. Most recently he wrote the libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
for an opera scored by Scottish composer Stuart MacRae
Stuart MacRae
Stuart MacRae is a British composer.- Education and career :Stuart MacRae studied at Durham University with Philip Cashian and Michael Zev Gordon, and subsequently with Simon Bainbridge and Robert Saxton at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama...
, The Assassin Tree, based on a Greek myth recounted in The Golden Bough
The Golden Bough
The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion is a wide-ranging, comparative study of mythology and religion, written by Scottish anthropologist Sir James George Frazer . It first was published in two volumes in 1890; the third edition, published 1906–15, comprised twelve volumes...
. The opera premiered at the 2006 Edinburgh International Festival
Edinburgh International Festival
The Edinburgh International Festival is a festival of performing arts that takes place in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, over three weeks from around the middle of August. By invitation from the Festival Director, the International Festival brings top class performers of music , theatre, opera...
, Scotland, before moving to the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
, Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
, London. Saturday Night (Century Films, BBC2, 1996) – wrote and narrated a fifty minute poetic commentary to a documentary about night-life in Leeds. Directed by Brian Hill. In 2010, Armitage walked the 264 mile Pennine Way
Pennine Way
The Pennine Way is a National Trail in England. The trail runs from Edale, in the northern Derbyshire Peak District, north through the Yorkshire Dales and the Northumberland National Park and ends at Kirk Yetholm, just inside the Scottish border. The path runs along the Pennine hills, sometimes...
, walking South from Scotland to Derbyshire. Along the route he stopped to give poetry readings, often in exchange for donations of money, food or accommodation and is writing a book about his journey.Pennine Way activities on Armitage's website
He has received numerous awards for his poetry, including The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
Author of the Year, a Forward Prize, a Lannan Award, and an Ivor Novello Award for his song lyrics in the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
film Feltham Sings. Kid and CloudCuckooLand were short-listed for the Whitbread poetry prize
Costa Book Awards
The Costa Book Awards are a series of literary awards given to books by authors based in Great Britain and Ireland. They were known as the Whitbread Book Awards until 2005, after which Costa Coffee, a subsidiary of Whitbread, took over sponsorship....
. The Dead Sea Poems was short-listed for the Whitbread, the Forward Poetry Prize
Forward Poetry Prize
The Forward Poetry Prizes were created in 1991. The aim of the prizes is to extend the audience for contemporary poetry. Until the T.S. Eliot Prize remuneration was increased to £15,000 plus £1000 to each of nine runners-up, the Forward was the United Kingdom's most valuable annual poetry...
and the T. S. Eliot Prize
T. S. Eliot Prize
The T. S. Eliot Prize for Poetry is awarded by the Poetry Book Society to "the best collection of new verse in English first published in the UK or the Republic of Ireland" in any particular year. The Prize was inaugurated in 1993 in celebration of the Poetry Book Society's 40th birthday and in...
. The Universal Home Doctor was also short-listed for the T.S. Eliot. In 2000, he was the UK's official Millennium Poet and went on to judge the 2005 Griffin Poetry Prize
Griffin Poetry Prize
The Griffin Poetry Prize is Canada's most generous poetry award. It was founded in 2000 by businessman and philanthropist Scott Griffin. The awards go to one Canadian and one international poet who writes in the English language....
, the 2006 Man Booker Prize for Fiction
Man Booker Prize
The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original full-length novel, written in the English language, by a citizen of the Commonwealth of Nations, Ireland, or Zimbabwe. The winner of the Man Booker Prize is generally assured of international renown and...
and the 2010 Manchester Poetry Prize
Manchester Poetry Prize
The Manchester Poetry Prize is a literary award celebrating excellence in creative writing. It was launched by Carol Ann Duffy and The Manchester Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University in 2008, and was the first phase of the annual Manchester Writing Competition.Open internationally...
.
In 2004, Armitage was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
Royal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
and was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2010 Birthday Honours. He is a vice president of the Poetry Society
Poetry Society
The Poetry Society is a membership organisation, open to all, whose stated aim is "to promote the study, use and enjoyment of poetry".The Society was founded in London in February 1909 as the Poetry Recital Society, becoming the Poetry Society in 1912...
and a patron of the Arvon Foundation
Arvon Foundation
The Arvon Foundation is a charitable organisation in the United Kingdom which promotes creative writing. It is based in the Free Word Centre for literature, literacy and free expression in London.-History:...
.
Poetry collections
- Zoom! (Bloodaxe, 1989) ISBN 978-1-85224-078-3
- Xanadu (1992)
- KidKid (book)Kid is a 1992 collection of poems by Simon Armitage. The title poem, 'Kid' is written from the point of view of comic book and TV series character Robin, companion of Batman. The poem talks about how Robin has grown up after separating from Batman...
(1992) - Book of MatchesBook of matchesBook Of Matches is a poetry book written by Simon Armitage. It was first published in 1993 by Faber and Faber. Several poems featured in the book are studied as part of the GCSE English Literature examination in the UK.- The Book :...
(1993) - The Dead Sea Poems (1995)
- CloudCuckooLand (1997)
- Killing Time. (1999)
- Selected Poems (2001)
- Universal Home Doctor (2002)
- Travelling Songs (2002)
- The Shout: Selected Poems (2005)
- Tyrannosaurus Rex Versus The Corduroy Kid (2006)
- The Not Dead (2008)
- Out of the Blue (2008)
- Seeing Stars (2010)
Translation
- Homer's Odyssey (2006)
- Sir Gawain and The Green Knight (2007)
- The Death of King Arthur (2011)
Pamphlets and limited editions
- Human Geography (Smith/Doorstop Books, 1986)
- Distance Between Stars (Wide Skirt, 1987)
- The Walking Horses (Slow Dancer, 1988)
- Around Robinson (Slow Dancer, 1991)
- The Anaesthetist (Alton; Clarion, Illustrated by Velerii Mishin, 1994)
- Five Eleven Ninety Nine (Clarion Publishing, Illustrated by Toni Goffe, 1995)
- Machinery of Grace: A Tribute to Michael DonaghyMichael DonaghyMichael Donaghy was an award-winning New York poet and musician, who lived in London from 1985.-Life and career:...
(Poetry Society, 2005), Contributor - The North Star (University of Aberdeen, 2006)-Contributor
- The Motorway Service Station as a Destination in its Own Right (Smith/Doorstop Books, 2010)
Edited
- Penguin Modern Poets BK.5 (with Sean O'Brien and Tony HarrisonTony HarrisonTony Harrison is an English poet and playwright. He is noted for controversial works such as the poem V and Fram, as well as his versions of ancient Greek tragedies, including the Oresteia and Hecuba...
, 1995) - The Penguin Book of Poetry from Britain and Ireland since 1945 (with Robert Crawford, 1998)
- Short and Sweet: 101 Very Short Poems (1999)
- Ted HughesTed HughesEdward James Hughes OM , more commonly known as Ted Hughes, was an English poet and children's writer. Critics routinely rank him as one of the best poets of his generation. Hughes was British Poet Laureate from 1984 until his death.Hughes was married to American poet Sylvia Plath, from 1956 until...
Poems: Selected by Simon Armitage (2000) - The Poetry of Birds (with Tim Dee, 2009)
Other books
- Moon Country (with Glyn MaxwellGlyn MaxwellGlyn Maxwell is a British poet.-Early life:Though his parents are Welsh, Maxwell was born and raised in Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire. He studied English at Worcester College, Oxford. He began an MLitt there, but in 1987 moved to America to study poetry and drama with Derek Walcott at...
,1996) - Eclipse (1997)
- All Points North (1998)
- Mister Heracles After Euripides (2000)
- King Arthur in the East Riding (Pocket Penguins,2005)
- Jerusalem (2005)
- The Twilight Readings (2008)
- Gig: The Life and Times of a Rock-star Fantasist (2008)
Selected radio works
- Second Draft from Saga Land – Six programmes for BBC Radio 3BBC Radio 3BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
on W. H. AudenW. H. AudenWystan Hugh Auden , who published as W. H. Auden, was an Anglo-American poet,The first definition of "Anglo-American" in the OED is: "Of, belonging to, or involving both England and America." See also the definition "English in origin or birth, American by settlement or citizenship" in See also...
and Louis MacNeiceLouis MacNeiceFrederick Louis MacNeice CBE was an Irish poet and playwright. He was part of the generation of "thirties poets" which included W. H. Auden, Stephen Spender and Cecil Day-Lewis; nicknamed "MacSpaunday" as a group — a name invented by Roy Campbell, in his Talking Bronco...
. - Eyes of a Demigod – On Victor GraysonVictor GraysonAlbert Victor Grayson was an English socialist politician of the early 20th century. A Member of Parliament from 1907 to 1910, his sudden and still-unexplained disappearance in 1920 is widely believed to have been the result of his intention to reveal evidence of corruption at the highest levels...
commissioned by BBC Radio 3. - The Amherst Myth – on Emily DickinsonEmily DickinsonEmily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life...
for BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
. - Points of Reference – on the history of navigation and orientation for BBC Radio 4.
- From Salford to Jericho – A verse drama for BBC Radio 4.
- To Bahia and Beyond – Five travelogue features in verse with Glyn MaxwellGlyn MaxwellGlyn Maxwell is a British poet.-Early life:Though his parents are Welsh, Maxwell was born and raised in Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire. He studied English at Worcester College, Oxford. He began an MLitt there, but in 1987 moved to America to study poetry and drama with Derek Walcott at...
from Brazil and the AmazonAmazon RiverThe Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
for BBC Radio 3. - The Bayeux Tapestry – A six part dramatisation, with Geoff Young, for BBC Radio 3.
- A Tree Full of Monkeys (2002) – commissioned by BBC Radio 3, with :zoviet*france:Zoviet FranceZoviet France is a prolific music group from Newcastle upon Tyne in north east England. While often dissonant and made of industrial textures, their music also falls into the ambient music category...
. - The Odyssey (2004) – A three-part dramatisation for BBC Radio 4.
- Writing the City (2005) – commissioned by BBC Radio 3.
- Black Roses: The Killing of Sophie Lancaster (2011), consisting of poems telling the story of Sophie LancasterMurder of Sophie LancasterThe Murder of Sophie Lancaster was a murder case in the United Kingdom in 2007. The victim, along with her boyfriend, Robert Maltby, was attacked by a number of males in their mid-teens while walking through Stubbylee Park in Bacup, Rossendale in Lancashire. As a result of her severe head injuries...
's life, together with the personal recollections of her mother.
Further reading
- Jeremy Noel-Tod, "Profile: Simon Armitage". Areté 4, Winter 2000, pp. 31–49.
- Times article April 24, 2010 Simon Armitage says: ‘They’re poems because I say they are’ Accessed 2010-04-24
- The deadly serious poet's society: Simon Armitage, 46, on rejection, perfect steak - and why he never writes poetry drunk. Sunday Times Magazine, 23 May 2010.
External links
- Poetry Archive Biography, interviews, poems and audio files. Accessed 2010-02-22
- Guardian interview (07/2001) Accessed 2010-02-22
- Simon Armitage Official Site Accessed 2010-02-22
- Independent Interview Sunday, 21 September 1997 Accessed 2010-02-22
- BBC Interview (03/2004) Accessed 2010-02-22
- Griffin Poetry Prize 2006 keynote speech, including audio clip Accessed 2010-02-22
- Sonnets.org interview (01/2002) Accessed 2010-02-22