David Morphet
Born in Yorkshire in January 1940, David Morphet read English at Cambridge where he was co-editor of the university literary magazine Delta.
In the Diplomatic Service he served in posts in the Middle East, in Madrid, and in the Private Office of two Foreign Secretaries.
In the 1980s, as an Under-Secretary in the Department of Energy, he represented the United Kingdom on various international energy bodies. He was UK Governor at the International Atomic Energy Authority in Vienna at the time of the Chernobyl disaster. In the private sector he has held Board positions in the power and construction industries.
In the mid-1960s he attended meetings in Chelsea of The Group (including poets such as Alan Brownjohn, George MacBeth and Peter Porter), and some years ago he was a Board member and occasional editor of the poetry magazine Magma. Poems of his have been published in various magazines including The Times Literary Supplement and (in translation) in the leading Russian literary magazine Noviy Mir.
He and his wife live in London. They have three children and five grandchildren.
Poetry at the Athenaeum
Between 2006 and 2023 he has organised and chaired 72 readings by poets, and presentation on poetry, in a Poetry Series at the Athenaeum Club London, of which he is a Member.
During he Covid-19 lockdown in 2020-21 he wrote, and invited others to write, 34 weekly essays on the work of individual poets which were circulated to all Members of the Club and later printed in three volumes entitled Poetry in Isolation.
He believes that the finest poetry, art and music are driven by a desire for revelation and vision, to perceive and articulate what is authentic, deep-rooted, and lasting.
He believes that key features of the finest poetry are creative imagination; intelligence (leading to precision of thought and expression); fellow-feeling (empathy); love of language and the expressive power of its rhythms; and a keen sense of structure
Also see David Morphet – Wikipedia