I'm in Oxford, gearing up to vote in the elections for the Professor of Poetry, tomorrow. There have been last minute nominations, withdrawals, backstabbing and smear campaigns for weeks now, and suggestions that outraged senior poets will be burning their ballot papers in tomorrow's election at the Examination Schools.
See:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/may/15/oxford-poetry-professor-walcott-padel
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6256746.ece
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/
Until a few days ago, the race for this prestigious 300-year post was between the Indian poet Arvind Mehrotra, Derek Walcott and British poet Ruth Padel. Following a vicious smear campaign in which he was accused of sexual harassment 26 years ago, Walcott withdrew his candidacy. However, last night, the Evening Standard in London (http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/) published a report suggesting that the smear campaign of anonymous letters had actually been sent by Padel's campaign manager and former boyfriend, John Walsh.
Derek Walcott was formerly being supported by such well-known writers as Alan Hollinghurst, Marina Warner, John Carey, Jon Stallworthy, Jenny Joseph, Bernard O'Donoghue, UA Fanthorpe, Alan Brownjohn, Anthony Thwaite and historian Margaret MacMillan, while Ruth Padel is supported by numerous contemporary British poets, including Carol Ann Duffy (the new British Poet Laureate).
Indian candidate Arvind Mehrotra was supported by such noteworthies as Amit Chaudhuri, Toby Litt, and Tariq Ali. (For more information about Mehotra's work, see Amit Chaudhuri's report in the UK Guardian's column
"A Week in Books").
Senior Oxford poets are now calling on the University to cancel the elections for this year.
