CAROL ANN DUFFY (1955-) is a celebrated British poet known for her accessible and engaging poetry that explores themes of gender and oppression.
In 2009, she became the first woman appointed Poet Laureate of Great Britain, a position she held until 2019. Duffy spent her early years in Glasgow before moving to Stafford, England, where she attended convent schools. She began publishing poetry at just 14. She studied philosophy at Liverpool University and graduated in 1977. Duffy pursued a career in writing and teaching poetry, serving as a poetry critic for The Guardian and as an editor for Ambit magazine before becoming a lecturer and creative director at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Her poetry collections include Standing Female Nude (1985), The World’s Wife (1999), Rapture (2005), and Sincerity (2018). She also wrote plays such as Take My Husband (1982) and Little Women, Big Boys (1986), as well as children’s works like Underwater Farmyard (2002) and The Tear Thief (2007).
Over her illustrious career, she received numerous accolades, including the Scottish Arts Council Award and the T.S. Eliot Prize. Duffy was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1995, advanced to Commander (CBE) in 2002. She became a Dame Commander (DBE) in 2015, solidifying her legacy as one of Britain’s most influential and groundbreaking poets. “The War Photographer” is one of her popular poems.
WORKS CITED
Rees-Jones, Deryn. Carol Ann Duffy. 3rd ed., Northcote House, 2010.Rees-Jones, Deryn.
Carol Ann Duffy. 3rd ed. Tavistock, Devon: Northcote House, 2010.
Women’s History: Female Firsts – Britannica Presents 100 Women Trailblazers. https://www.britannica.com/explore/100women/know-the-history/female-firsts
Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan is a teacher, bilingual writer and artist with over two decades of experience in teaching English language and literature. She currently serves as Assistant Professor of English at NSS College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Her blog, ashlit.in brings together academic resources, creative writing in Malayalam and English, and visual art. The platform features lecture notes, study materials, poems, reflections, short prose, and a curated collection of her paintings. Through this space, she seeks to foster learning, creativity, and meaningful engagement with literature and the arts.
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