Gillian Clarke facts for kids

Gillian Clarke, born on June 8, 1937, is a well-known Welsh poet and playwright. She also works as an editor, broadcaster, and teacher. She is famous for translating poems from the Welsh language into English. Gillian helped create Tŷ Newydd, which is a special center for writers in North Wales.

Her Early Life

The house where Gillian Clarke's grandmother lived at Fforest Farm, near Fishguard.

Gillian Clarke was born in Cardiff, Wales, on June 8, 1937.

Her Career as a Writer

After finishing university, Gillian Clarke worked for the BBC in London for a year. Then, she moved back to Cardiff. There, she had her daughter, Catrin, and two sons. She even wrote a poem about Catrin. Gillian also worked as an English teacher. She taught at the Reardon-Smith Nautical College and later at Newport College of Art.

In the mid-1980s, she moved to a countryside area in Ceredigion, West Wales, with her second husband. After that, she spent several years teaching creative writing at the University of Glamorgan. In 1990, she was one of the people who started Tŷ Newydd. This is a special place in North Wales where writers can go to learn and work.

Many students across the United Kingdom study her poems for their GCSE and A Level exams. A lot of her poems are included in the GCSE AQA Anthology, which is a collection of poems for students. She has given poetry readings and lectures in Europe and the United States. Her work has been translated into ten different languages. Some of her English poems were even translated into Chinese.

Gillian Clarke has published many collections of poems for both adults and children. She has also written plays and articles for different publications. She used to be the editor of The Anglo-Welsh Review from 1975 to 1984. She is currently the president of Tŷ Newydd. Several of her books have been recommended by the Poetry Book Society. In 1999, she received the Glyndŵr Award for her amazing contributions to the arts in Wales. She was also a judge for the 2008 Manchester Poetry Prize. Gillian Clarke often reads her poems to teenagers who are preparing for their English GCSE school exams. She is part of the GCSE Poetry Live team, which includes other famous poets like John Agard and Carol Ann Duffy.

In December 2013, Gillian Clarke was a guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs show. She has written over 100 poems during her career.

Awards and Recognition

In 2008, Gillian Clarke became the third National Poet of Wales. This is a very important role for a poet in Wales. She held this position until 2016. After her, Ifor ap Glyn became the National Poet. In 2010, she received the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry. She was only the second Welsh person to ever receive this special honor.

In 2011, Clarke joined the Gorsedd of Bards. This is a group of important Welsh cultural figures. In 2012, she received the Wilfred Owen Association Poetry award. Her book Ice was also nominated for the T. S. Eliot Prize in 2012, which is a major poetry award.

Her Books

• Snow on the Mountain. (Christopher Davies), 1971
• The Sundial. (Gomer Press / Gwasg Gomer), 1978 ISBN: 0-85088-540-X
• Letter From a Far Country. (Carcanet Press), 1982
• Selected Poems. (Carcanet Press), 1985 ISBN: 0-85635-594-1
• Letting in the Rumour. (Carcanet Press), 1989 ISBN: 0-85635-757-X
• The King of Britain's Daughter. (Carcanet Press), 1993 ISBN: 1-85754-031-X
• Collected Poems. (Carcanet Press), 1997 ISBN: 1-85754-335-1
• Five Fields. (Carcanet Press), 1998 ISBN: 1-85754-401-3
• The Animal Wall. Illustrated, for children. (Gomer Press / Gwasg Gomer) 1999 ISBN: 1-85902-654-0
• Nine Green Gardens. (Gomer Press / Gwasg Gomer), 2000 ISBN: 1-85902-805-5
• Owain Glyndŵr. (National Library of Wales), 2000 ISBN: 1-86225-015-4
• Making the Beds for the Dead (Carcanet Press) April 2004 ISBN: 1-85754-737-3
• At the Source (Carcanet Press) May 2008 ISBN: 978-1-85754-986-7
• A Recipe for Water (Carcanet Press) April 2009 ISBN: 978-1-85754-988-1
• Ice (Carcanet Press October 2012) ISBN: 978-1-847771-99-5
• Zoology (Carcanet Press July 2019) ISBN: 978-1784102166
• Roots Home: Essays and a Journal (Carcanet Press March 2021) ISBN: 978-1800170780
• The Hours (Broken Sleep Books April 2021) ISBN: 978-1-913642-82-2 (limited to 100)
• The Silence (Carcanet Press May 2024) ISBN: 978-1800173927

See also

• Anglo-Welsh poetry