Can anyone tell me who they think is the most important poet writing in the UK at the moment?

Seamus Heaney

Carol Ann Duffy. Witty, stylish, topical AND universal-- if you don`t know her, or don`t agree, check out The World`s Wife, her recent-ish collection. Gorgeous.

Why the UK only?
I know some great Polish poets - Szymborska, Milosz - well worth checking out if you don't know them.

Would they be available in English? any particular titles or collections you'd recommend?

There is an excellent bilingual version of selected Szymborska called 'Nothing Twice' although it's by a Polish publisher 'Literackie' so may be hard to find.

Also, it's not new but Seamus Heaney translated Kochanowski's Laments for his dead daughter and that's published by Fabers.

Miroslav Holub, I don't know if he is still writing but there is planty available in English (and he sometimes wrote in English). He is a scientist/poet and for me he hits the bullseye time after time. Brian Patten, still writing, works for me too. I find 'Important' is a difficult concept to deal with in poetry, because I think only time will give us the real answer. Hilary

Yes, important is difficult... maybe meaningful is more what attracts me in poetry at the moment. A wonderful collection of major contemporary poets called Staying Alive Neil Astley published by the also wonderful Bloodaxe Books... it has attracted nothing but praise worldwide and is subtitled 'Real poems for unreal times'. Can't recommend it highly enough... something to dip into a few at a time, on the train, in the morning, when you feel in need of poetic sustenance..

James Fenton. There may well be others more deserving, but he strikes many sympathetic chords.

I agree with Bhose on Seamus Heaney, God is he still alive? I just wish Ezra Pound was.
Becca.

Anna,this is a bit 'off topic' as the thread was concerned with UK poets, but Agnieszka's quite right about Szymborska (the 1996 Nobel Laureate); she's worth a long look. Heres a couple of links (if they work). The first contains English translations of a couple of her poems:

http://hum.amu.edu.pl/~zbzw/ph/szym/szym.htm

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/Author=Szymborska%2C%20Wislawa/202-4579625-2431834

Almost forgot to add, Seamus Heaney's recent re-working of 'Beowulf' , for me, puts him at the top of the UK tree.

Thanks for that, Jack. I think you're right on topic. I'll check those links out myself.