ULUSAL BİR SANAT OLARAK ŞİİR: CAROL ANN DUFFY’NİN SARAY ŞAİRLİĞİ DÖNEMİNDEKİ POLİTİK ŞİİRİ

Carol Ann Duffy’nin 2009 yılında kraliyet şairi ödülünü kabul ederek İngiltere'nin ilk kadın kraliyet şairi olması, Duffy’nin her zaman eserlerinde hükümet politikalarını çok sert bir şekilde eleştiren politik bir şair olması nedeniyle büyük bir sürpriz olmuştur. Ancak, Duffy kendisi istemediği sürece monarşi ve kraliyet ile olaylar için şiir yazmayacağını açıkça belirtmiştir. Andrew McAllister ile 1988'de yaptığı bir röportajda Carol Ann Duffy, bir şair olarak niyetinin "olanları olduğu gibi sunmak" olduğunu belirtir ve ekler “şairlerin çözümleri yoktur, şairler insan deneyimini kaydeder” (72). Bu manifesto, Duffy'nin 1980'lerin ve 1990'ların çok kültürlü Britanya'sında yaşama deneyimini, imtiyazsızların ve yoksunların durumunu betimleyen Standing Female Nude (1985), Selling Manhattan (1987) ve The Other Country (1990) şiir kitaplarındaki politik tavrını ve şiirlerini de tanımlamaktadır. Röportajlarında da belirtiği gibi Duffy'ye göre "şiir, hepimiz için önemli olan şeylerle başa çıkmanın bir yolu olarak gazetecilere, uzmanlara veya akademisyenlere önemli bir alternatif ses sağlar" (Wroe, 2014, para 1). Bu makale Duffy'nin kraliyet şairi olarak yazdığı şiirlerinin politik yönü ile ilgilidir. Bu makale, Duffy'nin 2009-2019 yılları arasında kraliyet şairliği sırasında yazdığı siyasi şiirlere odaklanmakta ve çoğunlukla Duffy’nin siyasi şiirlerinde politikacıları hedef alarak kamuoyunun kaygılarını seslendirip vurguladığını belirtmektedir. Bu bağlamda, Carol Ann Duffy eleştirilerini politikacılara yönelterek İngiliz halkının kamusal kaygılarını öne çıkarmakta ve çağdaş Britanya'da yaşamanın sosyal ve duygusal deneyimini sunmak amacıyla kamuoyu adına konuşmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler:

Politik şiir, Saray şairi, Carol Ann Duffy, Çağdaş İngiliz şiiri

POETRY AS NATIONAL ART: CAROL ANN DUFFY'S POLITICAL POETRY AS THE POET LAUREATE

When Carol Ann Duffy became Britain's first female poet laureate in 2009, it was a surprise as Duffy has always been a political poet with very harsh criticism of government policies in her works. However, she made it clear that she would not be writing poems for the monarchy and the royal occasions unless she feels to. In an interview with Andrew McAllister in 1988, Carol Ann Duffy stated that her intention as a poet is "to present it, as it is" (72). She added, "poets don't have solutions, poets are recording the human experience." This manifesto informs her work as her political poems illustrate life in the multicultural Britain of the 1980s and 1990s with a close observation of the underprivileged and deprived in Standing Female Nude (1985), Selling Manhattan (1987), and The Other Country (1990). Duffy's laureate poems also reflect her concern to speak for the unvoiced, as for Duffy "poetry provides an important alternative voice to journalists or pundits or academics as a way of dealing with things that matter to us all" (Wroe, 2014, para 1). Thus, this paper is concerned with the political aspect of Duffy's laureate poems, focusing on her political poetry written during her poet laureateship between the years 2009-2019 mainly targeting politicians and highlighting public concerns. Accordingly, she speaks for the public, to present the social and emotional experience of living in contemporary Britain by way of highlighting public concerns of the British people by targeting her criticism to the politicians.

Keywords:

Political poetry, Poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, Contemporary British poetry,

PDF

___

Adetunji T. and Tran M. (2010, May 7). “General election 2010: Polling queues leave hundreds unable to cast vote.” The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/may/07/polling-queues-hundreds-unable-vote
Allerdice, L. (2018, Oct 27). “Interview. Carol Ann Duffy: With the evil twins of Trump and Brexit … There was no way of not writing about that, it is just in the air.” The Guardian. Retrieved from https:// www.theguardian.com/ books/2018/oct/27/ carol-ann-duffy-poet-laureate-books-interview
“'Bedroom tax' appeal 'flabbergasting' to Labour.” (2016, Jan 28). BBC. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-35429457
Bellaby, R. W. (2018). “Extraordinary rendition: expanding the circle of blame in international politics.” The International Journal of Human Rights. 22 (4), 574–602. doi:10.1080/13642987.2017.1397634
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (No Date). “Do Lemmings Really Commit Mass Suicide?”. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/story/do-lemmings-really-commit-mass-suicide
Brown, M. (2009, Jun 13). “Carol Ann Duffy leaps into expenses row with first official poem as laureate.” The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/jun/12/carol-ann-duffy-politics-laureate
Brownjohn, A. (2012, Feb 8). “Bee-ing Poet Laureate- The Bees by Carol Ann Duffy.” The Times Literary Supplement. Retrieved from https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/carol-ann-duffy-bees-poet-laureate/
Burgin, L. (2010, Jan 12). “Great Britain’s Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy brings her personal poetry to UMMA.” The Michigan Daily. Retrieved from https://www.michigandaily.com/uncategorized/carol-ann-duffy-lecture/
Carrington, D. (2013, Oct 9). “'Badgers are moving the goalposts' says Owen Paterson of cull.” The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/oct/09/badgers-moving-goalposts-owen-paterson-cull
Cobain I. and Ball J. (2013, May 22). “UK provided more support for CIA rendition flights than Thought.” The Guardian. Retrieved from. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/22/uk-support-cia-rendition-flights
Davies, R., Connally, K and Sample, I. (2017, Jun 16). “Grenfell Tower fire: Cladding for Grenfell Tower was cheaper, more flammable option.” The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/16/manufacturer-of-cladding-on-grenfell-tower-identified-as-omnis-exteriors
Dowson, J. (2016). Carol Ann Duffy: Poet for Our Times. London: Palgrave McMillan.
Duffy, C. A. (2009, Jul 25). “Exit Wounds.” The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/jul/25/war-poetry-carol-ann-duffy
Duffy, C. A. (2010, May 11). “Democracy”. Retrieved from https://www.mmu.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/story/?id=1260
Duffy, C.A. (2011). The Bees. London: Picador.
Duffy, C. A. (2013, Oct. 11). “22 Reasons for the Bedroom Tax” The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/11/bedroom-tax-poet-laureate-carol-ann-duffy
Duffy, C. A. (2019). Sincerity. London: Picador.
Flood, A. (2009, May 1). “Duffy becomes the First Female Laureate”. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/may/01/carol-ann-duffy-poet-laureate
Jackson, C. (2016, Oct 21). “Aberfan: The mistake that cost a village its children.” BBC. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-150d11df-c541-44a9-9332-560a19828c47
Kennedy, M. (2013, Oct 11). “Bedroom tax brings out the beast in poet laureate.” The Guardian. Retrieved from https:// www.theguardian.com/books /2013/oct/11/ bedroom-tax-poet-laureate-carol-ann-duffy
Lawson, M. (Host). (2011, Sep. 30). “Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy.” Front Row. [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0151xt6
Lexico. (n. d.). Sincerity. In Lexico.com dictionary. Retrieved August 31, 2021, from https://www.lexico.com/definition/sincerity.
Major, Nick. (2018, Nov. 10). “THE SRB INTERVIEW: Carol Ann Duffy.” Scottish Review of Books. Retrieved from https://www.scottishreviewofbooks.org/2018/11/the-srb-interview-carol-ann-duffy/
McAllister, A. (1988). “Carol Ann Duffy Interview.” Béte Noire, 6: 69-77.
McSmith, A. (2016, July 6). “Alastair Campbell cleared of 'sexing up' intelligence dossier ahead of Iraq War.” Independent. Retrieved from https://www.independent. co.uk/ news/uk/politics/chilcot-report-iraq-war-alastair-campbell-cleared-sexed-dossier-tony-blair-spin-doctor-a7122571.html
Mitchell, A. (2008, Dec 22). “Tell Me Lies About Vietnam by Adrian Mitchell.” The Guardian. Retrieved from https:// www.theguardian.com/culture/2008 /dec/22/ adrian-mitchell-vietnam
Naughton, P. (2009, May 18). “Poet Laureate takes potshot at MPs’ expenses.” The Times. Retrieved from https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/poet-laureate-takes-potshot-at-mps-expenses-gp68vh3kpnh
Nolen, J. L. (2020, March 13). Guantánamo Bay detention camp. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Guantanamo-Bay-detention-camp
Paterson, S. (2018, Jun 6). “Grenfell Tower Inquiry LIVE: ‘Ordinary people were ignored’. All World Report. Retrieved from Grenfell Tower Inquiry LIVE: 'Ordinary people were ignored'
“Poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy becomes a dame in New Year honours.” (2015, Jan 13) Web Blog Post. WriteOut Loud. Retrieved from https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=46178.
“Q&A: MP expenses row explained.” (2009, Jun 18). BBC. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7840678.stm.
Ross, P. (2012, Dec 2). “Interview: Poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy talks Christmas, poetry, politics and perks of the job”. The Scotsman. Retrieved from https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/interview-poet-laureate-carol-ann-duffy-talks-christmas-poetry-politics-and-perks-job-2461590.
Savage M. (2009, May 1). “Profile: Carol Ann Duffy.” Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/mobile/entertainment/8022790.stm.
“The Guardian view on rendition and torture: a shame that Britain cannot erase.” (2019, Jul 28). The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/ commentisfree /2019/jul/28/the-guardian-view-on-rendition-and-torture-a-shame-that-britain-cannot-erase?CMP=gu_com.
“The Observer view on why Britain’s role in torture must be revealed in full.” (2018, Jul 1). The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/commentisfree/2018/jul/01/britain-torture-911-rendition-cia
Toynbee, P. (2017, Jun 16). “Opinion- Grenfell Tower Fire: Theresa May was too scared to meet the Grenfell survivors. She’s finished.” The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/16/theresa-may-scared-grenfell-survivors-finished-austerity-cameron-osborne
Viner, K. (1999, Sep 25). “Metre Maid” The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/books/1999/sep/25/costabookaward.features
Welfare Reform Act 2012. Available at https:// www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga /2012/5/contents.
"Whose Voice Is It Anyway?" (2000, March 16). Economist, p. 14. Retrieved from https://www.economist.com/review/2000/03/16/whose-voice-is-it-anyway
Wroe, N. (2014, Sep 27). “Interview: Carol Ann Duffy on Five Years as Poet Laureate: 'It Has Been a Joy.'” BBC News. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/sep/27/carol-ann-duffy-poet-laureate-interview