Sir John Betjeman, one of the best-loved British poets of the 20th century, was initially overlooked as poet laureate because he was considered a lightweight “versifier” who lacked serious merit, according to newly released official files.
Government papers released by the National Archives in Kew, south-west London, lay bare the extraordinary in-fighting and backbiting which surrounded the appointment to one of the most prestigious positions in the world of English literature.
