Simon Armitage

Writing

Simon Armitage

Born May 26, 1963 · Marsden, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, UK (age 63)

Simon Robert Armitage, CBE, FRSL is an English poet, playwright and novelist who was appointed Poet Laureate on 10 May 2019. He is also professor of poetry at the University of Leeds and succeeded Geoffrey Hill as Oxford Professor of Poetry when he was elected to the four year part time appointment from 2015–2019.

Known For

Last WordsLast Words · 2017
Last Words
2017
MovieRomanceDrama
C finds love through a chance encounter in this emotive, witty and deeply visual reimagining of a poem by Simon Armitage.
Out of the BlueOut of the Blue · 2006
Out of the Blue
2006
MovieDocumentaryDrama
Told from the point of view of an English trader working in the North Tower of the World Trade Centre, the poem-film Out Of The Blue was commissioned by Channel 5 and broadcast five years after the 9.11 attacks on America.
The Making of King ArthurThe Making of King Arthur · 2010
The Making of King Arthur
8.02010
MovieDocumentary
Poet Simon Armitage traces the evolution of the Arthurian legend through the literature of the medieval age and reveals that King Arthur is not the great national hero he is usually considered to be. He's a fickle and transitory character who was appropriated by the Normans to justify their conquest, he was cuckolded when French writers began adapting the story and it took Thomas Malory's masterpiece of English literature, Le Mort d'Arthur, to restore dignity and reclaim him as the national hero we know today.
Climate of ChangeClimate of Change · 2010
Climate of Change
2010
MovieDocumentary
"We are the renters of this world, not its masters," reminds Pooshkar, a precocious 13-year-old member of a youth environmental defense group in India. He and his fellow voraciously energetic students actively rally against the use of plastics. In Africa, a renaissance man teaches citizens to harness solar power to cook food. In Papua New Guinea, villagers practice sustainable logging to save their rainforests. A woman in London uses her PR savvy to start a successful environmental communications firm. Self-described "hillbillies" in Appalachia battle the big business behind strip mining. In this rich and inspiring documentary, director Brian Hill takes us around the world to find the ordinary people taking action in the fight to save our environment.
Gods and Monsters: Homer's OdysseyGods and Monsters: Homer's Odyssey · 2010
Gods and Monsters: Homer's Odyssey
6.92010
MovieDocumentary
Virginia Woolf said that Homer's epic poem the Odyssey was 'alive to every tremor and gleam of existence'. Following the magical and strange adventures of warrior king Odysseus, inventor of the idea of the Trojan horse, the poem can claim to be the greatest story ever told. Now British poet Simon Armitage goes on his own Greek adventure, following in the footsteps of one of his own personal heroes. Yet Simon ponders the question of whether he even likes the guy.
Black Roses: The Killing of Sophie LancasterBlack Roses: The Killing of Sophie Lancaster · 2015
Black Roses: The Killing of Sophie Lancaster
2015
MovieDocumentary
In 2007, Sophie Lancaster was beaten to death because of her appearance. Her story is told through a sequence of poems by Simon Armitage and through the interviews made by her mother in the wake of the tragedy. Adapted for television from the poetry anthology/stage production and radio adaptation.
Ted Hughes: Stronger Than DeathTed Hughes: Stronger Than Death · 2015
Ted Hughes: Stronger Than Death
2015
MovieDocumentary
Documentary exploring Ted Hughes, one of the greatest poets of the 20th century, focusing on how his life story influenced his work and vision.
BBC Four Presents: Sir Gawain and the Green KnightBBC Four Presents: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight · 2009
BBC Four Presents: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
9.02009
MovieDocumentary
Poet Simon Armitage goes on the trail of one of the jewels in the crown of British poetry, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written about 600 years ago by an unknown author. The poem has got just about everything - it is an action-packed adventure, a ghost story, a steamy romance, a morality tale and the world's first eco-poem. Armitage follows in the footsteps of the poem's hero, Gawain, through some of Britain's most beautiful and mystical landscapes and reveals why an absurd tale of a knight beheading a green giant is as relevant and compelling today as when it was written.

Filmography

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Climate of ChangeClimate of Change · 2010
Climate of Change
2010
MovieDocumentary
"We are the renters of this world, not its masters," reminds Pooshkar, a precocious 13-year-old member of a youth environmental defense group in India. He and his fellow voraciously energetic students actively rally against the use of plastics. In Africa, a renaissance man teaches citizens to harness solar power to cook food. In Papua New Guinea, villagers practice sustainable logging to save their rainforests. A woman in London uses her PR savvy to start a successful environmental communications firm. Self-described "hillbillies" in Appalachia battle the big business behind strip mining. In this rich and inspiring documentary, director Brian Hill takes us around the world to find the ordinary people taking action in the fight to save our environment.

Writer