I agree that Heaney's is a deserved win, Rob; he's never won it before and he's surely the representative poet of our times. But then, in many ways, so is Simon Armitage; but perhaps his time will come in the future. I must say that though I enjoyed District and Circle, I was hugely impressed by Tyrannosaurus Rex versus the Corduroy Kid.
And speaking of good poetry, I received your pamphlet recently; haven't read too much of it yet, but I'm impressed by 'Dated'; seems to be dealing with similar themes as Larkin's 'Mr. Bleaney'; of time lost and opportunities missed, and of introspection and self-reflection. Though I appreciate that the narrator of 'Dated' maintains an observant distance from the character, rather than Larkin's expressed connection with Mr. Bleaney's position. A good poem, though.
I heard him on BBC Radio 4 Today. He's had a stroke and been quite ill. They read one poem from the collection and it was a beauty. He has such style, so elegant and pared down.
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There were certainly a number of fine folk nominated this year; I'd hate to have had to make the final decision.
I agree that Heaney's is a deserved win, Rob; he's never won it before and he's surely the representative poet of our times. But then, in many ways, so is Simon Armitage; but perhaps his time will come in the future. I must say that though I enjoyed District and Circle, I was hugely impressed by Tyrannosaurus Rex versus the Corduroy Kid.
And speaking of good poetry, I received your pamphlet recently; haven't read too much of it yet, but I'm impressed by 'Dated'; seems to be dealing with similar themes as Larkin's 'Mr. Bleaney'; of time lost and opportunities missed, and of introspection and self-reflection. Though I appreciate that the narrator of 'Dated' maintains an observant distance from the character, rather than Larkin's expressed connection with Mr. Bleaney's position. A good poem, though.
No suprise at all, but I think he did deserve it - but then I am slightly biased coming from this side of the stream.
I heard him on BBC Radio 4 Today. He's had a stroke and been quite ill. They read one poem from the collection and it was a beauty. He has such style, so elegant and pared down.
Apprentice
I think Heaney's is a very strong collection. It was a strong field, but I can't quarrel with the decision.
Glad you enjoyed, "Dated", Ben - one of my experiments with Sapphic metre that somehow ended up as a proper poem.
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