British poet quits top post after claims of smear campaign
Alice Ritchie
LONDON, Alice Ritchie- The first female Oxford Professor of Poetry quit Monday after admitting publicising old allegations of sexual harrassment against her rival, in a row which has scandalised academics in Britain.
Ruth Padel resigned after just over a week in the prestigious post after she admitted tipping off journalists to an allegation levelled 27 years ago against Nobel laureate Derek Walcott, who also sought the coveted Oxford post.
The 79-year-old told reporters he had no wish to be part of a contest that had "degenerated into a low and degrading attempt at character assassination".
On May 16, Padel, a great-great granddaughter of Charles Darwin, was elected Professor of Poetry following a vote by Oxford graduates and academic staff, beating rival Indian poet Arvind Mehrotra.
Padel admitted Monday that she had told journalists of the allegation against Walcott after a student expressed concern, prompting newspaper coverage of the issue, but insisted she knew nothing about the letter campaign.
"I genuinely believe that I did nothing intentional that led to Derek Walcott's withdrawal from the election. I wish he had not pulled out," she said in a statement.
"I did not engage in a smear campaign against him, but, as a result of student concern, I naively -- and with hindsight unwisely -- passed on to two journalists, whom I believed to be covering the whole election responsibly, information that was already in the public domain."
Padel -- the first woman to take on the Oxford poetry professorship since it was created in 1708 -- said she had "acted in complete good faith".
She said she wished Walcott had not pulled out and would have been "happy to lose" to him, but acknowledged: "I can see that people might interpret my actions otherwise.
"I therefore resign from the chair of poetry. I hope wounds will now heal and I wish the next professor all the best."
The row has prompted widespread concern among literary circles, with a number of Padel's allies urging her to quit last week to avoid further scandal.
"The professorship is a very serious thing. This is dirty tricks and character assassination," philosopher AC Grayling told the Hay-on-Wye literary festival on Sunday, according to the Daily Telegraph newspaper.
"There was no way that the Oxford professorship should be run on this business of sexual harassment; it should be run on the merits of the poetry."
The post is voted for by Oxford graduates and requires the holder amongst other things to deliver three public lectures a year -- plus an oration in Latin every other year at Oxford's honorary degree ceremony.
The prestigious academic post dates back to 1708 and was previously held by WH Auden and Seamus Heaney.
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