- In full:
- Sir Andrew Peter Motion
- Born:
- October 26, 1952, London, England (age 74)
- Title / Office:
- poet laureate (1999-2009)
- Awards And Honors:
- Costa Book Awards (1993)
Andrew Motion
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Who is Andrew Motion?
Andrew Motion, born in London on October 26, 1952, is a British poet, biographer, and novelist noted for his narrative poetry. He was England's poet laureate from 1999 to 2009.
Motion's writings often explore themes of isolation and loss, displaying insight and empathy. His first verse collection, The Pleasure Steamers, was published in 1978. In 1987, his biography of the Lambert family, The Lamberts: George, Constant & Kit, earned him the Somerset Maugham Award. As poet laureate, Motion aimed to broaden poetry's audience, especially among young people, and was the first to serve a fixed term.
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What is Andrew Motion known for?
Andrew Motion is a British poet, biographer, and novelist, born on October 26, 1952, and especially known for his narrative poetry. He served as poet laureate of England from 1999 to 2009, and he sought to make poetry accessible to a wider audience, especially younger people, encouraging schools to teach poetry regularly.
His works include the verse collection The Pleasure Steamers, which contains âInland,â and his biographies of Philip Larkin and John Keats. Motion's other poetry collections include Secret Narratives, Dangerous Play: Poems, 1974â84, Natural Causes, Love in a Life, The Price of Everything, Salt Water, Public Property, The Cinder Path, Peace Talks, and Coming In to Land: Selected Poems 1975â2015.
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What kinds of books and poems has Andrew Motion written?
Andrew Motion, born in London in 1952, is a British poet, biographer, and novelist, noted for his narrative poetry. He was poet laureate of England from 1999 to 2009.
Motion's first verse collection, The Pleasure Steamers, was published in 1978. His later collections of poetry include Secret Narratives (1983), Dangerous Play: Poems, 1974â84 (1984), Natural Causes (1987), Love in a Life (1991), The Price of Everything (1994), Salt Water (1997), Public Property (2002), The Cinder Path (2009), Peace Talks (2015), and Coming In to Land: Selected Poems 1975â2015 (2017).
Among his works of fiction are The Pale Companion (1989); Famous for the Creatures (1991); Wainewright the Poisoner (2000); The Invention of Dr. Cake (2003), Silver: Return to Treasure Island (2012) and The New World (2014). In 2006 Motion published a memoir, In the Blood, and in 2008 he released a collection of essays titled Ways of Life: On Places, Painters, and Poets.
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What is a Poet Laureate, and did Andrew Motion serve as one?
A Poet Laureate is a poet honored for achievement. The British Poet Laureate is appointed by the British sovereign and is a member of the royal household. The American Poet Laureate acts as the chair of poetry for the Library of Congress.
Andrew Motion is a British poet, biographer, and novelist. He was the Poet Laureate of England from 1999 to 2009. Motion was also the first laureate to serve a fixed, 10-year term.
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What are some important themes or topics in Andrew Motion's poetry?
Andrew Motion, a British poet laureate from 1999 to 2009, is known for his narrative poetry, insight, and empathy Andrew Motion. Isolation and loss are frequent themes in his work. Motion's notable works include The Pleasure Steamers (1978), which features "Inland," a poem depicting the fear of villagers abandoning their homes after a flood, and critical works on Edward Thomas and Philip Larkin, who greatly influenced him Andrew Motion. As poet laureate, Motion aimed to broaden poetry's accessibility, especially among younger audiences Andrew Motion.
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How has Andrew Motion influenced modern British literature?
Andrew Motion, born in London in 1952, is a British poet, biographer, and novelist who notably served as poet laureate of England from 1999 to 2009. Known for his narrative poetry, Motion's work often explores themes of isolation and loss, demonstrating insight and empathy. His critical works on Edward Thomas and Philip Larkin, poets whose subtle voices were sometimes overlooked, have contributed to a deeper appreciation of their work.
As poet laureate, Motion focused on broadening poetry's accessibility, especially among younger audiences, by advocating for regular poetry education in schools. He was also the first laureate to serve a fixed ten-year term.
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Andrew Motion (born October 26, 1952, London, England) is a British poet, biographer, and novelist who was especially noted for his narrative poetry. He served as poet laureate of England from 1999 to 2009.
Motion attended Radley College and University College, Oxford (B.A., 1974; M.Litt., 1977), where he was a student of poet John Fuller. From 1976 to 1980 he taught at the University of Hull, and he later joined the faculty at the University of East Anglia, in Norwich (1995â2003). In the interim between these teaching positions, he was the editor of Poetry Review (1980â83) and worked in a variety of editorial capacities for two London publishing houses. He subsequently taught at the University of London and at Johns Hopkins University, in Baltimore, Maryland.
Motionâs first verse collection, The Pleasure Steamers, was published in 1978. It contains âInland,â which describes the fear and helplessness of 17th-century villagers who must abandon their homeland following a devastating flood; the poem received the Newdigate Prize in 1975. Noted for his insight and empathy, Motion frequently wrote about isolation and loss. Much influenced by the poets Edward Thomas and Philip Larkinâwhose low-key poetic voices often caused their work to be overlooked and undervaluedâMotion wrote critical works on both men, The Poetry of Edward Thomas (1980) and Philip Larkin (1982), as well as a biography of Larkin (Philip Larkin: A Writerâs Life, 1993). He also produced a biography of poet John Keats (Keats, 1997) and his biography of the talented Lambert family, The Lamberts: George, Constant & Kit (1986), earned him the Somerset Maugham Award (established by Somerset Maugham to enable writers under age 35 to travel to âenrich their writingâ) in 1987.
Motionâs later collections of poetry included Secret Narratives (1983), Dangerous Play: Poems, 1974â84 (1984), Natural Causes (1987), Love in a Life (1991), The Price of Everything (1994), Salt Water (1997), Public Property (2002), The Cinder Path (2009), Peace Talks (2015), and Coming In to Land: Selected Poems 1975â2015 (2017). Among his works of fiction are The Pale Companion (1989); Famous for the Creatures (1991); Wainewright the Poisoner (2000), a âfictional confessionâ by 19th-century painter, essayist, and alleged murderer Thomas Griffiths Wainewright; and The Invention of Dr. Cake (2003), a fictional biography of the obscure poet-doctor William Tabor. Silver: Return to Treasure Island (2012) and The New World (2014) are sequels to Robert Louis Stevensonâs popular adventure novel, centring on the character Jim Hawkins. In 2006 Motion published a memoir, In the Blood, and in 2008 he released a collection of essays titled Ways of Life: On Places, Painters, and Poets.
As poet laureate, Motion sought to make poetry accessible to a wider audience. He especially targeted younger people, encouraging schools to teach poetry regularly. He was the first laureate to serve a fixed, 10-year term; previous laureates had received a lifetime appointment. Motion was knighted in 2009.