‘Erato’ by Deryn Rees-Jones Shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize 2019
‘Erato’ by Deryn Rees-Jones Shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize 2019
We are delighted to finally be able to share that Erato by Deryn Rees-Jones has been shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize 2019.
Seren poetry editor Amy Wack said: “The poetry of Deryn Rees-Jones is vividly sensual, keenly intelligent, both rapt and thoughtful. ‘Erato’ as the title implies, is an embrace of our fractured, error-prone humanity. We’re delighted that it has a place on the shortlist alongside nine other amazing poets.”
The ten poets on this year’s shortlist were chosen from over 150 collections submitted by British and Irish publishers. Featuring new voices, veteran poets, and covering an extraordinary range of themes, the shortlist comprises five men, four women and one trans non binary; one American, one Russian-American and one Canadian, as well as poets of Trinidadian, Cypriot and Sri Lankan extraction.
Judge John Burnside said:
“In an excellent year for poetry, the judges read over 150 collections from every corner of these islands, and beyond… Each had its own vital energy, its own argument to make, its own celebration or requiem to offer, and we knew that settling upon ten from so many fine books would be difficult.
Nevertheless, as our deliberations progressed, the same titles kept coming to the fore, culminating in a list that brings together work by some of the finest and most fearless poets working today.”
See the full shortlist on the T. S. Eliot website.
The T. S. Eliot Prize Shortlist Readings will take place on Sunday 12th January 2020 in Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall as part of its literature programme in an event hosted by Ian McMillian. You can purchase tickets by calling Southbank Centre’s ticket office on 0203 879 9555 or via www.southbankcentre.co.uk/literature.
The winner of the 2019 prize will be announced in a ceremony on Monday 13th January 2020.
To keep up to date with information on all of the shortlisted poets and to see specially-commissioned videos, readers’ notes and reviews, subscribe to the T. S. Eliot Prize newsletter: https://tseliot.com/prize/subscribe-to-the-t-s-eliot-prize-newsletter/