Battle for Oxford Chair Heats Up as Wole Soyinka Responds to Incendiary Comments

Need an update on the Oxford poetry chair? Sure you do. "Candidates for one of the most prestigious posts in poetry are embroiled in a war of words as Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka hit back at claims by broadcaster Melvyn Bragg that he was too old and 'grand' for the role at Oxford University," writes Jessica Elgot for The Guardian.

Bragg, who had previously backed the Nigerian poet to be the next Oxford chair of poetry, told the Sunday Times he was switching his allegiance to Simon Armitage, saying he was concerned 80-year-old Soyinka would not “bother to come to Oxford” were he appointed. “Soyinka is a grand man … I also query his age,” Bragg said.

Soyinka, a prolific poet, novelist and playwright as well as a political activist, said he was confounded by the comments.

“How curious that anyone would even speculate that I would allow busy and committed people - friends, colleagues and total strangers - to waste their time nominating and campaigning on my behalf for such a prestigious position if I were not serious about contesting,” he said.

Soyinka has been nominated by an impressive number of graduates, 149 in total, with Armitage collecting 54 nominations, including the literary critic John Carey, now emeritus professor of English at Oxford. All Oxford graduates are able to vote for the position, with polling set to begin on Friday.

The post is exceptionally prestigious, with the holder expected to give three lectures a year. The only qualification is “that candidates be of sufficient distinction to be able to fulfil the duties of the post”.

Previous chairs have included Seamus Heaney, Matthew Arnold, WH Auden and Robert Graves. Arnold was the first incumbent to deliver his lectures in English rather than Latin.

Additionally of interest:

Campaigning for the Oxford poetry post, second only to poet laureate in its status, has a history of being bad-tempered. Ruth Padel, the first female poet to be elected in 2009, decided not to take the position after becoming embroiled in a media storm, having emailed journalists to highlight ongoing allegations of sexual harassment surrounding her rival, Derek Walcott.

Walcott stood down from the election after an anonymous email campaign against him, which Padel insisted was not instigated by her. No other woman has taken up the post in its 300-year history.

The result of this year’s vote is expected to be announced on 19 June, with three other candidates in the running: Ian Gregson, Seán Haldane and A E Stallings. The winning poet will succeed Hill in October 2015.