Where does this title come from? Can you give me the historical context from which it originated? How many Poet Laureates have there been in the U.S.? Do all states have their own Poet Laureates?

-- Lynda J. Lambert (llambert@geneva.edu), March 09, 1998

Answers

laureates galore

It is a neoclassic revival of the Greek custom of crowning bards with Apollo's signatory laurel. The actual British Celtic honor would normally be Bard, a druidic honor or great power. Was Tennyson the first modern Laureate? A nationalistic honr of the British speaking Empire and quite impressive as was that poet's opus. Once he received the honor he had trouble performing for the duty. Has proliferated too much already to any sectarian, mainly nationalistic symbolism without much advancing the actual writing of poetry.

The French had their pecking order in an organizational committee, often equally destructive to the production of genuine poetry.

-- P.E. Murphy (murky@rochhester.rr.com), November 01, 2002.

here is a quick definition as for as how many there have been in the us i am not sure, i will try to look it up.

poet laureate (noun), plural poets laureate or poet laureates

First appeared 15th Century

1 : a poet honored for achievement in his art

2 : a poet appointed for life by an English sovereign as a member of the royal household and formerly expected to compose poems for court and national occasions

3 : one regarded by a country or region as its most eminent or representative poet

-- Dave Doherty (davelucian@aol.com), March 09, 1998.