Jacob Polley was born in Carlisle in 1975. He is the author of five poetry collections: The Brink (2003); Little Gods (2006); The Havocs (2012); Jackself (2016); and Material Properties (2023), all published by Picador Poetry. Both The Brink and The Havocs were shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize; Jackself was awarded the T. S. Eliot Prize 2016. He received an Eric Gregory Award in 2002 and in 2004 was named one of the ‘Next Generation’ of the twenty best new poets in the UK and Ireland. His novel, Talk of the Town, won the Somerset Maugham Award in 2010. He has held residencies at the Civitella Ranieri Foundation and at the Wordsworth Trust. He teaches at Newcastle University and lives with his family on the north-east coast. Author photo © Dave Wall
Shortlisted Works
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Jacob Polley’s disturbing tale of lost innocence wins world’s most prestigious poetry prize The T. S. Eliot Foundation is delighted to announce that the winner of the T. S. Eliot Prize 2016 is Jacob Polley for his remarkable new collection Jackself. After months of reading and deliberation, judges Ruth Padel...
The T. S. Eliot Prize is delighted to announce the thrilling 2016 Shortlist, featuring exciting newcomers and established names. Judges Ruth Padel (Chair), Julia Copus and Alan Gillis have chosen the Shortlist from 138 books submitted by publishers: Rachael Boast – Void Studies (Picador Poetry) Vahni Capildeo – Measures of...
This article on the T. S. Eliot Prize was first published on the Poetry Book Society website in 2012. The Poetry Book Society is pleased to announce the Shortlist for the T. S. Eliot Prize for Poetry 2012. Judges Carol Ann Duffy (Chair), Michael Longley and David Morley have chosen...
