Bastille Day Announcements

The Guardian on July 14, 2011 ran an article about Geoffrey Hill's Clavics being shortlisted for the Forward Prize.

Links:
Maev Kennedy, "Forward shortlist includes Geoffrey Hill, Sean O'Brien and David Harsent," Guardian (July 14, 2011).

Encaenia, June 23

The Brick, the newsletter for Keble Alumni (issue 48, Hilary Term 2010) announces that Geoffrey Hill will receive the award of honorary Doctor of Letters at Encaenia (June 23). He will also be speaking at the Pre-1960 Reunion Weekend at Keble on June 26.

Geoffrey Hill in formal attire at the University of Bristol

The Univerity of Bristol's Robert Fowler (Dean of the Faculty of Arts) awarded Geoffrey Hill with an honorary degree, Doctor of Letters, at the University of Bristol on July 16, 2009.

The photo of Geoffrey Hill and Robert Fowler (by Ede and Ravenscroft) was first posted by the University.

Links:

Press Release University of Bristol (July 16, 2009).

Penguin Archive Project (July 17, 2009).

Post by John Lyon on the Geoffrey Hill Exchange (July 17, 2009).

Peter McDonald's plea for the Oxford Professor of Poetry

In an article published in this week's TLS, Peter McDonald suggests:  

"...it is worth thinking of the Oxford Chair as a position of responsibility: and above all as Oxford's particular responsibility to literature and the future.  Recent events have made it essential for the University to prove that it is equal to its responsibilities, and not at the mercy of every contemporary wind that blows."

He argues that Geoffrey Hill would be well suited to the position.

Links:

Peter McDonald, "The Oxford Poetry Professor controversy - a suggestion," Times Literary Supplement (June 3, 2009).

About the controversy over the elections for the Oxford Professor of Poetry, held in May (May 26, 2009).

Hill wins Truman Capote Award for Collected Critical Writings

April is not the cruelest month for some, and in the US it's National Poetry Month.  It has been a rewarding month for Geoffrey Hill who just won the Truman Capote Award for Literary Criticism.  Not only that, but some people see him as the next Poet Laureate. 

Links:

University of Iowa News Services, "Geoffrey Hill wins 2009 Truman Capote Award for Literary Criticism," (April 15, 2009).

On the Laureateship:

Sarah Knapton, "Seamus Heaney backs Geoffrey Hill for Poet Laureate," Telegraph (April 13, 2009).

Alison Flood, "Duffy is hottest tip for poet laureate," Guardian (February 25, 2009).

"The search for Andrew Motion's successor," Poetry Society (Spring 2009).