A spate of anonymous letters detailing old sexual-harassment allegations has driven Derek Walcott out of the competition to be the University of Oxford’s next professor of poetry, The Guardian and the Evening Standard reported today. Along with Ruth Padel and Arvind Krishna Mehrotra, Mr. Walcott, a Nobel laureate, was on the short list for the prestigious post. Oxford graduates are scheduled to vote Saturday on who should fill the job.

According to The Guardian, Mr. Walcott pulled out after as many as 100 Oxford academics received photocopied pages from a book with details of a sexual-harassment claim made by a Harvard student in 1982. Mr. Walcott was also sued for harassment in 1996 by a Boston University student, in a case that was settled out of court.

“I am disappointed that such low tactics have been used in this election, and I do not want to get into a race for a post where it causes embarrassment to those who have chosen to support me for the role, or to myself,” Mr. Walcott told the Evening Standard. “I already have a great many work commitments, and while I was happy to be put forward for the post, if it has degenerated into a low and degrading attempt at character assassination, I do not want to be part of it.”

Hermione Lee, a champion of Mr. Walcott and prominent literary scholar who is president of Oxford’s Wolfson College, called on Ms. Padel, now the front runner, to dissociate herself from the anonymous letters. Ms. Padel obliged, saying that she wished Mr. Walcott had not withdrawn. “It’s very, very sad,” she told The Guardian. “He’s a fine poet, and I really, really admire his work.” —Jennifer Howard