This year, in conjunction with our partners at The Poetry Society, we asked a handful of Young Critics to dive into the T.S. Eliot Prize archives and explore winning collections from the Prize’s history. Our aim is to reintroduce you to a classic on the Eliot Prize bookshelf.

Our latest recommendation comes from Young Critic Elliot Ruff, who has reviewed of Carol Ann Duffy’s Rapture (Picador Poetry), the winner of the T.S. Eliot Prize 2005.

‘Duffy’s Rapture paints its subject – the “you” addressed throughout – by moving between ecstasy and grief, love and absence, in what reads like a book-length chain of metaphors tracing a relationship from its beginning to its end,’ Elliot writes.

Read Elliot’s review in full on the T. S. Eliot Prize website and the Young Poets Network, and look out for Young Critics’ reviews of other winning collections over the coming weeks.

The Young Critics Scheme, established in 2022, is a prestigious partnership programme devised by The Poetry Society and the T. S. Eliot Prize. Every year, the scheme commissions ten emerging poetry reviewers to produce video reviews of the Prize Shortlist. Look out for the announcement of the 2026 cohort of Young Critics this September.

Elliot Ruff was a Young Critic 2024. He is originally from Shrewsbury and works in publishing.