Former Oxford Professor of Poetry and current Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage is one of the most acclaimed writers of our times. His extensive body of work includes original collections, such as Kid and Book of Matches - as well as modern translations of Middle English masterpieces, such as Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl,  The Death of King Arthur and Gawain and the Green Knight.

‍

Simon will read a selection of his own poems as well as excerpts from his four Middle English translations. This is a rare opportunity to see him live in London.

“Oh dire, dreadful death, you drag your heels.

Why dawdle and draw back? You drown my heart.”  

from The Death of King Arthur

‍

Poet Laureate Simon Armitage was born and grew up in West Yorkshire. He is the recipient of numerous prizes and awards, including the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry and the PEN Prize for Translation.  He has published over a dozen poetry collections, including Magnetic Field: the Marsden Poems, and acclaimed medieval translations of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Owl and the Nightingale.   He is the author of two novels and three non-fiction bestsellers: All Points North, Walking Home and Walking Away.  A regular broadcaster, Armitage presents the popular BBC Radio 4’s series The Poet Laureate has Gone to his Shed.  An award-winning dramatist, his play The Last Days of Troy was performed at Shakespeare's Globe. He writes, records and performs with the band LYR and has received an Ivor Novello Award for his song writing. His new book Never Good with Horses (April 2023) features his song lyrics. Armitage is Professor of Poetry at the University of Leeds. A Vertical Art brings together the vibrant and engaging lectures from his tenure as Oxford Professor of Poetry (2015-2019).  www.simonarmitage.com

‍