I'm not a big fan of Duffy myself. I mean, I think every good writer has something interesting, and idiosyncratic, and strange to say about the world around them. But Duffy trots out what you would just expect, over and over again. Her sonnet about Shakespeare's wife says nothing very interesting or new about Shakespeare, it just says the normal banal things that people say every day about him in slightly heightened language. Why, when there was Hill, Oswald, even Armitage (though his particular talent is much overshadowed by the two previous names), did they pick her as laureate? Her opinions on Hera Lindsay Bird, or that texting is poetry should have made her a laughing stock.
Cummings is also not my favourite. What did he do but play with grammar? I think he was a painter who mistook himself as a poet.
But Bishop is a glorious writer!
In my mind, a sonnet should have a turn somewhere within it at least.
Regards,
Cameron
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