KS5/Adult Book Recommendation - Sandettie Light Vessel Automatic by Simon Armitage - Poet Laureate

Simon Armitage named UK's Poet Laureate

The West Yorkshire poet Simon Armitage has been appointed as the UK’s 21st poet laureate.

The origins of the poet laureateship date back to the seventeenth century, when it was established as a royal office. Now an honorary position  – the Poet Laureate is the ‘Nation’s Poet’, writing verse that responds to and reflects upon the country today.

“Poetry has the power to connect us to people, places and ideas. It also cuts across social and cultural divides. The important role of Poet Laureate helps to record key moments in British history and celebrates our rich literary tradition.” - Jeremy Wright, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Simon's first full-length collection of poems, Zoom!, was published in 1989 by Bloodaxe Books. Further mainstream collections are:

Xanadu (1992, Bloodaxe Books)

Kid (1992, Faber & Faber)

Book of Matches (1993, Faber & Faber)

The Dead Sea Poems (1995, Faber & Faber)

Moon Country (with Glyn Maxwell, 1996, Faber & Faber)

CloudCuckooLand (1997, Faber and Faber),

Killing Time (1999, Faber & Faber)

Selected Poems (2001, Faber & Faber)

Travelling Songs (2002, Faber & Faber)

The Universal Home Doctor (2002, Faber & Faber)

Tyrannosaurus Rex Versus the Corduroy Kid (2006, Faber & Faber, 2008 Knopf)

Seeing Stars (2010, Faber & Faber, 2011 Knopf)

Paper Aeroplane: Selected Poems 1989-2014 (2014, Faber & Faber)

The Unaccompanied (2017, Faber & Faber)

Forthcoming in 2019 is publication of Armitage's poetic script for the puppet opera Hansel and Gretel illustrated by Clive Hicks-Jenkins (Design for Today) and Sandettie Light Vessel Automatic (Faber & Faber).

For more information please go to:  https://www.simonarmitage.com