Poet Christopher Reid was Tuesday announced as the surprise winner of a major British literary prize for a collection in memory of his late wife, hailed by judges as a “master work”. The Hong Kong-born poet’s collection “A Scattering” beat the frontrunner, Irish author Colm Toibin, to pick up the prestigious 30,000-pound (34,400-euro, 48,400-dollar) Costa Book of the Year award.
It will come as a shock to the literary world and a blow to Toibin, who had been firm favourite to scoop the prize for his novel “Brooklyn”. Sixty-year-old Reid took inspiration for his collection of poems from the death of his wife, actress Lucinda Gane, from cancer in 2005. Reid, who has held the post of professor of creative writing at Britain’s University of Hull, was nominated for two Costa awards previously and this was his third time on the shortlist.
The Costa Book of the Year award is selected from five previously announced winners of individual categories, which are novel, biography, poetry, first novel and children’s . The Costa Book Awards, formerly the Whitbread Book Award, was established in 1971 to celebrate contemporary British and Irish writing.
Original article can be found HERE.
It will come as a shock to the literary world and a blow to Toibin, who had been firm favourite to scoop the prize for his novel “Brooklyn”. Sixty-year-old Reid took inspiration for his collection of poems from the death of his wife, actress Lucinda Gane, from cancer in 2005. Reid, who has held the post of professor of creative writing at Britain’s University of Hull, was nominated for two Costa awards previously and this was his third time on the shortlist.
The Costa Book of the Year award is selected from five previously announced winners of individual categories, which are novel, biography, poetry, first novel and children’s . The Costa Book Awards, formerly the Whitbread Book Award, was established in 1971 to celebrate contemporary British and Irish writing.
Original article can be found HERE.
