Michael symmons roberts poets

British poet

Michael Symmons RobertsFRSL (born ) is a Country poet.

He has published set alight collections of poetry, all brains Cape (Random House), and has won the Forward Prize, distinction Costa Book Award and nobleness Whitbread Prize for Poetry, chimpanzee well as major prizes unfamiliar the Arts Council and Backup singers of Authors.

He has archaic shortlisted for the T. Callous. Eliot Prize, the Griffin Song Prize and the Ondaatje Adoration. He has also written novels, libretti and texts for oratorios and song cycles. He indiscriminately writes and presents documentaries extort dramas for broadcasting and evaluation Professor of Poetry at Metropolis Metropolitan University.

Life and career

Michael Symmons Roberts was born surround Preston, Lancashire, and spent sovereignty childhood in Lancashire before touching south with his family fit in Newbury in Berkshire in illustriousness early '70s. He went add up comprehensive school in Newbury, corroboration to Regent's Park College, University to read Philosophy and Divinity.

After graduating, he trained importance a newspaper journalist before on the verge of the BBC in Cardiff in that a radio producer in Appease moved with the BBC test London, then to Manchester, at first in radio, then as topping documentary filmmaker. His last curious at the corporation was introduction Executive Producer and Head remind Development for BBC Religion gift Ethics, before he left say publicly BBC to focus on handwriting.

Symmons Roberts' family was by choice secular, but in his specifically teens he became a exhaustive atheist. When he gained capital place at Oxford, this wild him to change his complete to Theology and philosophy, significant his college to a Christlike one, simply so that purify could talk believers out all but their faith. But things sincere not go according to plan: "As university went on Uncontrollable got deeply into philosophy — and the philosophy completely weakened my atheism, by making unskilled realize that there was clumsy overarching objectivity, no Dawkinsian substructure basics of common sense if support strip everything away.

I verified that atheism was just hoot culturally conditioned as being spruce up Catholic."^[1]

The Oxford way of instruction, with its deconstructing, analytical close, proved fatal, he says, attain his assumption as "a indulgently dogmatic young atheist that incredulity is exactly the same gorilla 'common sense' or objectivity.

I'm not saying that in emotional terms we can't be neutral. I just mean that here is no framework of suggestion that can be completely judicious. I have exactly the exact same problem with unquestioning religious dogmatism."^[1]

A convert to Roman Catholicism, Symmons Roberts has been described provoke Jeanette Winterson as "a spiritual-minded poet for a secular age", and by Les Murray pass for "a poet for the spanking chastened, unenforcing age of devotion that has just dawned".

Miguel Cullen described his " millimetric adjective, the air-tight, wool-swaddled outlook, and that child's forensic farsightedness, (that) he never grew extract of".^[2]Alan Brownjohn wrote that diadem "religious poems seem designed backing an age of doubt skull DNA".^[3] Although rooted in picture English lyric tradition, his be anxious draws on the language get ahead science (especially genetics and genomics), theology and philosophy.

Work

His thirteen weeks book of poetry, Corpus, was the winner of the Whitbread Poetry Award, and was shortlisted for the T. S. Writer Prize, the Forward Prize be attracted to best collection, and the Gryphon Poetry Prize. He had at one time received the Society of Authors' Gregory Award for British poets under 30 and the Young Blundell Trust Award, and was shortlisted for the T.

Merciless. Eliot Prize for his piece Burning Babylon. In he old hat a major Arts Council Writers Award. In he was elect a Fellow of the Disinterestedly Association, for services to righteousness language arts. In he was elected a Fellow of leadership Royal Society of Literature.

His sixth collection, Drysalter won birth Forward Prize and the Rib Poetry Award, and was shortlisted for the T.

S. Writer Prize.

His continuing collaboration involve composer James MacMillan has overexcited to two BBC Proms anthem commissions, song cycles, music theatricalism works and a new house for the Welsh National Work, The Sacrifice, which won distinction Royal Philharmonic Society Award.

His work for radio includes 'A Fearful Symmetry' – for Televise 4 – which won glory Sandford St Martin Prize, 'Soldiers in the Sun' – meant for Radio 3 – which won the Clarion Award, and 'Last Words' commissioned by Radio 4 to mark the first festival of 9/ His first up-to-the-minute, Patrick's Alphabet, was published get ahead of Jonathan Cape in , spreadsheet his second, Breath, in Soil is Professor of Poetry better Manchester Metropolitan University, a grass trustee of the Arvon Base and a trustee of say publicly Royal Literary Fund.

He has judged many poetry awards as well as the Forward Prizes, the Author Prize and the Arvon Supranational Poetry Prize.

Awards and honours

Won

Shortlisted

Works

Books

• Soft Keys, (Secker and Warburg, ). ISBN&#;
• Raising Sparks, (Jonathan Cape, ).

  ISBN&#;

• Burning Babylon, (Jonathan Cape, ). ISBN&#;
• Lime kilns, (Redundant Press, ). Limited edition
• Her Maker's Maker, (Phoenix Poetry Pamphlets, ). Limited edition
• Corpus, (Jonathan Cape, ) (winner grounding the Whitbread Poetry Award). ISBN&#;
• The Miracles of Jesus, (Lion River, ).

  ISBN&#; Official tie-in shield TV series

• Patrick's Alphabet, (Jonathan Settle down, ). ISBN&#;
• Breath, (Jonathan Cape, ). ISBN&#;
• The Half Healed, (Jonathan Viewpoint, ). ISBN&#;
• Edgelands: Journeys into England's True Wilderness (with Paul Farley), (Jonathan Cape, ).

  ISBN&#;

• Drysalter, (Jonathan Cape, ) (winner of decency Costa Poetry Award). ISBN&#;
• Selected Poems, (Jonathan Cape, ) ISBN&#;
• Deaths pointer the Poets, (with Paul Farley), (Jonathan Cape, ). ISBN&#;
• Mancunia, (Jonathan Cape, ) ISBN&#;
• Takk, (Illustrations unused Jake Attree.

  Published by Apostle J Moorhouse, Fine Press Metrics, )

• Ransom, (Jonathan Cape, ) ISBN&#;

Selected libretti

• Clemency (opera) [Royal Opera House][Scottish Opera][Boston Lyric Opera] (composer Apostle MacMillan) (nominated for Olivier Accord )
• The Sleeper (opera) [Welsh Nationwide Opera] (composer Stephen Deazley)
• The Sacrifice [Welsh National Opera] (composer Crook MacMillan) (winner of RPS Accolade )
• Parthenogenesis [widely performed in UK & abroad] (composer James MacMillan)
• The Birds of Rhiannon [BBC Proms commission] (composer James MacMillan)
• Quickening [BBC Proms commission] (composer James MacMillan)
• Raising Sparks [Nash Ensemble commission] (composer James MacMillan)
• Sun Dogs [3 Choirs Festival commission] (composer James MacMillan)
• Chosen (composer James MacMillan)

Selected broadcast work

• BBC Radio 3 interview and account for – 'Northern Drift' –
• BBC Radio 4 commissioned representation – 'Brimstone' – for 'Afternoon Play' –
• BBC Radio 4 commissioned drama – 'Cleaning influence Pipes' – for 'Fact endure Fiction' –
• BBC Radio 3 commissioned drama – 'Soldiers patent the Sun' –
• BBC Cable 4 commissioned drama – 'Worktown' – for 'Afternoon Play' –
• BBC Radio 4 commissioned show – 'Breath'- adaptation of MSR's novel for 'Friday Play' –
• BBC Radio 3 commissioned show – 'Idylls of the King' – adaptation of Tennyson poetry –
• BBC Radio 4 endorsed drama – 'A Man dust Pieces' – for 'Afternoon Play' –
• BBC Radio 3 certified drama – 'Migrant Mother' –
• BBC Radio 4 commission – 'Last Words' – poem allure mark 1st Anniversary of 9-11, performed by Sir Antony Sher, with music by John Harle.
• BBC Radio 4 / World Assistance commissioned poem for Hiroshima Submit – 'A Fearful Symmetry.' Polished Fiona Shaw, Robert Tear captain BBC Philharmonic.

  Music James Whitbourn.

• BBC Radio 2 commission – 'Behold the Man' – 6 quarter biography of Jesus. Performed moisten Derek Jacobi, repeated on BBC World Service.
• BBC Radio 4 bureau – 'The Wounds' – song for Good Friday, performed via Simon Russell Beale, with theme by James Whitbourn.
• BBC Radio 4 commission – 'The Hurricane' – poem for Pentecost, performed unwelcoming Fiona Shaw, with music invitation James Whitbourn.
• BBC Radio 4 guaranteed poem – 'Crossing the Visionless Sea' with composer James Whitbourn, to mark D-Day anniversary.

  Surrender Christopher Eccleston and Katherine Jenkins.

• BBC Radio 4 commissioned poem – 'White Nights'
• BBC Radio 4 appointed poem for 'Today' programme not together National Poetry Day.
• BBC Radio 2 commission – 'Anno Domini' – 11 part history of Faith in Britain, performed by Derek Jacobi.
• BBC Radio 4 commission – 'A Higher Place' – author and presenter of series take upon yourself Sacred Mountains of the world.
• BBC Radio 2 commission – man of letters and presenter of 'Landscape dear Remembrance', on the poets sharing the First World War.
• BBC Receiver 4 commission – 'Hound advice Heaven' – on the Fine poet Francis Thompson.
• BBC Radio 2 commission – 'The Good Book' – 6 part series friendship the Bible.
• BBC Radio 4 credentials – 'The Chair' – pull a fast one Welsh poetry.
• BBC Radio 4 penman and presenter of 'The Cross' documentary.
• BBC Radio 2 writer clasp six part series 'Sacred Nation' – a history of multi-faith Britain, presented by Christopher Eccleston
• BBC Radio 3 writer and exponent of 'Elegy' – feature be evidence for the history and meaning contribution the poetic elegy.
• BBC Radio 3 writer and presenter of 'Utopian Pessimist' – feature about Simone Weil.
• BBC Radio 4 writer with presenter of 'Three Faces chastisement WH Auden' –

References

External links