Simon Armitage

Simon Armitage is an award-winning British poet and novelist. Born in 1963, he was raised in the village of Marsden, in West Yorkshire. After university, he initially worked as a probation officer and later as a lecturer in Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University, Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Lancaster.

Armitage has written nine collections of poetry, as well as dramatic writing, fiction, radio and television broadcasts. He is one of the most acclaimed and respected poets and authors working in the English language today, and is currently Professor of poetry at the University of Leeds.

In 2015, Armitage was appointed as the UK Poet laureate. Selected by Queen Elizabeth II, he succeeded the well known poet Carol Ann Duffy, the first female poet to be designated that role in its long history.

Armitage’s style of verse can best be described as earthy realism with an often humorous slant. He embraces everyday language and contemporary themes, drawing inspiration from classic English poets such as Chaucer and Shakespeare. The natural world is also a recurring theme in his work, and he often uses place names to evoke a particular time and place. His poetry often incorporates dialect, and his subject matter ranges from the everyday to the fantastical.

Throughout his career, Armitage has received several awards for his writing. This includes the 1984 Eric Gregory Award, the 1991 Forward Prize for Best First Collection, and the 1994 Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year. He has also been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and of the British Academy.

In 2014, Armitage published his novel, The Last Days of Troy, which tells the story of the Trojan War as seen through the eyes of the characters of Achilleus and Hektor. The novel won the prestigious Sunday Times Fiction Prize in the same year.

Armitage has also written for the stage and radio. His first radio play, The Flood, was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1993. It described a devastating flood in Yorkshire from the perspectives of three generations of a family . His other radio plays include In Memory of Water (1994) and Escape (1996).

He has also written three plays for the stage, Two Members of the Royal Family (2002), Black Bethlehem (2006) and The Last Days of Troy (2012).

Armitage's oeuvre of work continues to attract critical acclaim. His writing is known for its vivid imagery and wit, as well as its exploration of cultural and political issues. His reflections on the human condition make his work both timely and timeless.Despite his literary success, Armitage remains humble and is proud of his Yorkshire heritage.