So, Don Paterson's collection Rain won this year's Forward Poetry Prize, as was widely predicted, while Emma Jones' The Striped World took Best First Collection, and Robin Robertson's At Roane Head Best Individual Poem.
I don't want to slag off individuals, and I'm not a believer in some great poetry conspiracy, but those choices do seem entirely predictable. Obviously any competition comes down, in the end, to the subjective views of the judges, but I think they could have shown a bit more imagination, with the shortlists as well as the eventual choices.
I have to admit Paterson leaves me rather cold. I've got all his collections up to this one (although some were bought from remaindered stock, or in charity shops), and although I can see how well crafted they are, they don't really excite me or move me much. Again, personal taste, but the same thing keeps happening as did with Elvis Costello after about 1981 - with each new release, I listen to the flood of critical praise, decide that this time it must be the real thing, go out and buy it, and end up rather disappointed.
Elsewhere, the BBC's poll to find the nation's favourite poet did spring a surprise, for me at least, although perhaps that says something about me. TS Eliot won - I suppose I expected someone more, I don't know, accessible. I've seen it suggested that Cats had something to do with his popularity, but anyway, I found it quite heartening that such a major poet is actually held in wide public esteem.
4 comments:
Yes, delighted to see Eliot chosen, as certain lines from The Waste Land are probably my favourites - for the imaginary desert island.
I am of the baby boomer generation,and Eliot was often on A level and university syllabuses in my youth. Perhaps this vote is a sign of an age shift. Kipling (whom I value greatly) used to do well in polls, but I have suspected for a while that the generation who learnt him at school must, sadly, be less numerous now.
I was very moved by some of the work in Don Paterson's book. But the Guardian's observation that three poets have now won prizes three times is thought-provoking. Now I'm doing more reviewing, I keep coming across books I think are wrongly ignored by the prize lists. I was also impressed by the protests by members of the public that a former winner should not become a judge on Strictly Come Dancing. I've never watched the frocks etc,but I think their point was absolutely sound. The Forward Prize is an excellent idea, and very generously sponsored, but is it time for the organisers to have a re-think on the way judges and therefore winners are chosen? Shiny frocks would be optional...
Its not just in the world of the judge and the critic that this sort of thing happens.... look at FHM's 100 sexiest poll.... so far, I've not met with anyone who will admit to liking more than about two or three of the women featured.... and it unfortunately never seems strange to me that most of those in the poll have been in fhm in the previous year.... people are like sheep.... if they are told that they hould like Ms X, or the poetry of Mr Y, then they will profess to do so, despite their own opinions....
Hi Alison. I wonder too whether it's an age shift. I half-expected Kipling to win it (not that I'd have minded - I love a lot of his work, especially Boer War poems like Bridge Guard In The Karoo), but maybe as you say this is heavily influenced by what was on school curriculums. Whatever the reason, though, it has to be a good thing.
I feel the same way you do about the prizes. It's not that Paterson would ever be an unworthy winner, and my relative indifference to his work is neither here nor there, but I just wonder what criteria they judge this on.
Err, thanks for that, Kirk!
Post a Comment