Andrew Motion (1952-), Poet Laureate

Sir Andrew Motion

Sitter in 3 portraits
Born in London, Motion read English at University College, Oxford. His first collection The Pleasure Steamers, was published in 1977. Further works include Dangerous Play: Poems 1974-1984 (1984), which won the Mail on Sunday/John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and Natural Causes (1987), which won the Dylan Thomas Award. Motion is the author of the prize winning biographies The Lamberts: George, Constant and Kit(1986) and Philip Larkin: A Writer's Life (1993). Motion is a lyrical poet, who possesses what Philip Larkin called 'tender, sharp observation'. He has held the Poet Laureateship since 1999.