The surprising joys of poetry

If you think poetry is boring and difficult, Carol Ann Duffy will make you change your mind. There is no subject that Duffy cannot turn into a poem, and her poems cover the whole range of feelings and emotions. One Duffy poem could well make you laugh out loud and the next make you cry.

But, above all, when you have read a few of Duffy's poems and have become used to her unique style, you will find yourself enjoying what she has written. Part of the pleasure of discovering Duffy is not knowing what she is going to come up with next. People play a big part in her poetry, and so do slightly crazy ideas.

Duffy says she likes to use simple words in her poetry. It is the images and moods she creates that are pleasingly complicated.

Poems by ...

Duffy was born on December 23, 1955, in a poor part of Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. She was the eldest child in the family, and had four younger brothers.

When she was six years old, the family moved to a town in the middle of Britain where she was educated in local Catholic schools.

While studying at secondary school, some English teachers noticed her love of words and encouraged her to write. When she was 15, one of her teachers sent some of her poems to a small publisher in London who accepted them for publication.