Newly released official files reveal that Sir John Betjeman, a beloved British poet from the 20th century, was initially overlooked for the position of poet laureate due to being regarded as a lightweight “versifier” lacking substantial merit.
The government papers, made public by the National Archives in Kew, shed light on the intense internal disputes and animosity surrounding the selection process for one of English literature’s most prestigious positions.
Prominent poets of the era were disparaged, accused of being drunkards, snobs, communists, mentally unstable, or even creators of explicit content. Supporters of various candidates engaged in fierce competition, making claims against each other.
In this context, Prime Minister Harold Wilson assumed the responsibility of advising Queen Elizabeth on selecting the next poet laureate. To carry out this task, No 10 appointments secretary John Hewitt was assigned to gather opinions on potential candidates for the role.
The post eventually went to Cecil Day-Lewis (father of actor Daniel Day-Lewis), but he too was criticised, described as creating “run-of-the-mill poetry but nothing particularly outstanding” by an Oxford professor.
Below is a list of all the poets who were turned down for the poet laureate.
Poet laureates turned down in 1968
WH Auden
Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, playwright, and critic Wystan Hugh Auden was one of the favoured candidates for the slot. He was 5-4 favourite with the bookmakers Ladbrokes and was regarded by many of those consulted as the superior choice.
However, despite having grown up in Birmingham, England, Auden was excluded from the accolade partly because he was an American citizen.
He was also deemed inappropriate because of a pornographic poem that had appeared under his name in an underground magazine. The work, entitled The Gobble Poem, was said to be “of so filthy a character that his appointment would bring disgrace upon the office”.
Perhaps his most famous poem is Funeral Blues, often known by its first line; ‘Stop all the clocks’. It featured in the film Four Weddings and a Funeral.
John Betjeman
Sir John Betjeman was first shortlisted in 1967 after the death of the then-poet laureate, John Masefield.
Dame Helen Gardner, Merton professor of English at Oxford, slammed Betjeman as “a lightweight, amusing but rather trivial”. He had “critical views about the establishment”, she said, which were deemed inappropriate.
In another bruising take-down, Lord Goodman, the chair of the Arts Council, said: “The songster of tennis lawns and cathedral cloisters does not, it seems to me, make a very suitable incumbent for the poet laureateship of a new and vital world in which we hope we are living.
“An aroma of lavender and faint musk is really not right for an appointment of this kind at this moment. It is much too nostalgic and backward-looking.”
He is probably best known for his disparaging poem about Slough.
Philip Larkin
Philip Larkin, a widely popular poet at the time, was another potential candidate discussed for the prestigious role.
However, in a letter to Christopher Roberts, one of then-prime minister Edward Heath’s private secretaries, Jon Stallworthy, an Oxford professor, poet, and literary critic, delivered a brutal critique of the runners and riders, including Larkin.
Despite saying Larkin was “most likely to write a good/great poem”, he described him as “a reserved man who will never give a public reading”.
He is perhaps most famous for his poem This Be the Verse, better known by its first line, “They f**k you up, your mum and dad”.
Robert Graves
Robert Graves was also among the bookies’ favourites to be picked.
Famous for his historical novels, I, Claudius and King Jesus, he was described by Dame Helen Gardner as “probably the best poet available”, but she added that his “manner of life must surely rule him out”. Graves had actually criticised the role and spent most of his time in Majorca.
The chair of the Poetry Society, Geoffrey Handley-Taylor, echoed Gardner’s view, saying Graves was “too peculiar” and “too anti-establishment”.
He described himself as “pseudo-homosexual” but would probably call himself bisexual or pan-sexual today.
Stevie Smith
Popular poet and novelist Stevie Smith (real name Florence) was one of the only women to be considered for the role.
However, she was dismissed as “absurd” by Gardner, who added that she “wrote ‘little girl poetry’ about herself mostly”.
Handley-Taylor described her as “unstable”, adding: “She sang her verses at the recent Festival Hall affair and afterwards tore her bouquet to pieces on the platform.”
Not Waving but Drowning is her best-known poem, voted Britain’s fourth-favourite poem in a 1995 poll.
Hugh MacDiarmid
Scottish poet, journalist, essayist, and political figure Hugh MacDiarmid (real name CM Grieve) was also in the running, but was dismissed by Handley-Taylor as “heavily on the bottle” and accused of having “rejoined the Communist party”.
He is thought of as the greatest Scots poet since Robbie Burns, and is known for poems such as The Watergaw, and A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle.
Edmund Blunden
World War I poet and author Edmund Blunden was also dismissed by Handley-Taylor, who said he “suffered from severe mental lapses and was almost unintelligible at times”.
He suffered from PTSD after his time serving in the First World War.
However, he was also known as an author, critic, scholar, editor, biographer, journalist, and professor.
His masterpiece Undertones of War is thought to be one of the finest poems about the war.
Donovan (singer)
Iconic Beats writer Allen Ginsberg proposed the singer Donovan, who at the time was just 21, for the role. Donovan’s work, including Sunshine Superman and Mellow Yellow, had topped the charts.
In August, Ginsberg sent a hand-drawn “flower card” to Number 10 with the words “Donovan for Laureate”. Officials at Downing Street did not reply.
His anti-capitalist anthem Season of the Witch has been covered by many singers on various film soundtracks.
However, he also produced more controversial songs, such as Superlungs My Supergirl.
