Oriel postgraduate student Marcus Walker has been nominated
for the Professorship of Poetry of Oxford, an honoured post
established in 1708 and previously held by Matthew Arnold, WH
Auden and Seamus Heaney. Walker, a figure with a notable love of notoriety amongst the
student body, hopes to restore rhyme, rhythm and meter to poetic
style – “much unlike the current Poetry Professor Paul
Muldoon” whose five year stint as Professor ends in
Michaelmas. However, he will face virtually unbeatable competition from
fellow nominees Christopher Ricks, Anne Carson, and Peter Neville
Frederick Porter. A former President of both OUCA and the Union,
Walker is well known for his loonish antics and archaic sense of
dress. Although he can recite from heart Tennyson’s Charge
of the Light Brigade and Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky, it is
thought that he has not written any poetry since his school days. Accompanied by the Editor of Cherwell, Mr Walker handed his
signatures to the University Registrar only hours before the
close of nominations. Asked whether he would be willing to give
our readership a flavour of his poetic style Mr Walker said that
“none of it is clean enough to print”. At the time of
going to press, the acceptance of Mr. Walker’s nomination by
the university was pending. The duties of the Professor include giving termly public
lectures, and an oration at honorary degree ceremonies, as well
as the ability to judge and award a number of poetry prizes to
the value of many thousands of pounds. In return they will
receive an annual stipend of £5,427. Elections for the
Professorship will take place at the Divinity Schools on Saturday
15 May, and polls will be open for four hours. Members of
Convocation – the graduate body which elected Chancellor
Chris Patten last year – will be able to exercise their
right to vote in person. At the previous contested election, in
1994, only 451 members of Convocation turned out to vote.ARCHIVE: 0th week TT 2004
Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
