Clarke, Gillian (1937- )

Welsh poet and editor. Typically her poems begin with an everyday incident that leads to a reflection on the history, landscape, or changing social life of Wales; in particular she focuses on the role of women in Welsh life. Clarke's critical success is based on her ability to merge these specific, local subjects - closely observed and sensitively portrayed - with universal themes.

Clarke was born in Cardiff and educated at the city's University College. Apart from two years working for the BBC in London, she has lived and worked in Wales all her life. She was editor of the Anglo-Welsh Review 1976-84. Her first collection of poems, The Sundial, was published in 1978 in Wales; it was a third collection, Letter from a Far Country (1982), that won her critical acclaim and a wider readership. Other volumes include Letting in the Rumour (1989), The King of Britain's Daughter (1993), Five Fields (1998), and Making the Beds for the Dead (2004).