As the years went on Southey received other honors besides the
Laureateship. He was offered a baronetcy which he refused.
In 1813 he declined the offer of the Poet
Laureateship, then considered a position of no great dignity for a successful man, but secured the appointment of Southey, who was his friend.
Selected by a panel made up of librarians, critics, writers, literature development workers and booksellers, the winner of the
laureateship is an ambassador for children's literature and advocates children's fundamental rights to read, write and access books through bookshops and libraries.
Although the national Poet
Laureateship - a post just taken on by the excellent Simon Armitage - may be considered outdated, there are others whose literary efforts have brought about international joy and merriment.
"Over the past two decades the
laureateship has become a working role, with previous laureates actively involved in the promotion of poetry and in numerous initiatives to identify and encourage talent, especially within education and among younger writers; I hope to build on the work of my predecessors with energy and enthusiasm."
"Since the
laureateship was first conceived many hundreds of years ago Britain has changed enormously and the position of Poet Laureate has changed accordingly," he said.
Ms Dharker - who was born in Pakistan but grew up in Glasgow - had been a front-runner for the
laureateship, which is the highest honour in British poetry.
This position holds the honorary status of a national
laureateship, but is broadly geared towards the more egalitarian purpose of producing public lectures by leading poets.
He used his delightful 'Travels with My Sketchbook' to revisit some of the highlights of his
Laureateship.
Perhaps the most important finding of Cheshire's well-researched and lavishly illustrated book is that the 1842 Poems did more to cement Tennyson's emergence as a poet of note than did his annus mirabilis year of In Memoriam and the
laureateship's bestowal (1850).
I have this idea that this forum of the
laureateship might open up inroads to different, quieter kinds of conversations than I'm used to.