Simon Armitage

Appointed Poet Laureate in 2019, Simon Armitage has published numerous works of nonfiction and translations of classic writings as well as the collections of poems for which he is best known. ...

Born in 1963 in Marsden, West Yorkshire, Simon was drawn to poetry after studying Ted Hughes at school but chose to read geography at university and complete an MS in social work. His fascination with words never faded though and while working as a probation officer he honed his skills as a poet, making his first forays into publishing with limited edition pamphlets produced by local presses. A breakthrough came in 1989 when Bloodaxe Books published Zoom! – a full-length collection of his poetry that found critical acclaim for its literary variety and the vernacular style that reflected the poems’ focus on everyday life.

It was five years and three books later when Armitage felt confident enough to quit his job, which had proved a valuable source of material, and devote a year to writing full time. The decision horrified his father but the gamble soon paid off – in 1995 Faber and Faber published The Dead Sea Poems, which won the Forward Poetry Prize, and the following year he received the first of his five honorary degrees.

Despite writing prolifically over the decades and extending his reach from poetry to non-fiction, novels and plays as well as translations of classic works, Armitage also found time to follow a passion for music. He provided lyrics and lead vocals for The Scaremongers’ 2009 album Born in a Barn, conducted an infamous interview with his then-idol Morrissey in 2010, and continues to perform with LYR (Land Yacht Regatta), declaring to the Guardian that ‘doing music now when it’s miles too late is very satisfying’.

In addition to academic posts including Professor of Poetry at Oxford, Armitage has been awarded Millennium Poet, Fellow of the Royal Society for Literature and a CBE as well as a ten-year role as Laureate, making that break from probation work rather worthwhile.