Sean O’Brien is a poet, critic, novelist and short-fiction writer. Born in London in 1952, he grew up in Hull and now lives in Newcastle. His poetry collections include The Indoor Park, The Frighteners (both Bloodaxe Books) and HMS Glasshouse and Ghost Train (both Oxford University Press). His collection, Downriver (2001), shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize, was published by Picador Poetry, home to all his subsequent collections. The Drowned Book (2007) won the T. S. Eliot Prize and the Forward Poetry Prize for Best Collection. November (2011) was shortlisted for both the T. S. Eliot Prize and the Forward Prize for Best Collection. His Collected Poems appeared in 2012. The Beautiful Librarians (2015), a Poetry Book Society Choice, and Europa (2018) were both shortlisted for the T. S. Elliot Prize. His recent collections are It Says Here (2020) and Embark (2022). He is Emeritus Professor of Creative Writing at Newcastle University and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Author photo © Caroline Forbes
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In 2023 the T. S. Eliot Prize celebrated its 30th anniversary. We marked the occasion by looking back at the collections which have won ‘the Prize poets most want to win’ (Sir Andrew Motion). Sean O’Brien won the T. S. Eliot Prize 2007 with The Drowned Book (Picador Poetry), a...
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This article on the T. S. Eliot Prize was first published on the Poetry Book Society website in 2011. The Poetry Book Society is pleased to announce the Shortlist for the T. S. Eliot Prize for Poetry 2011. Judges Gillian Clarke (Chair), Stephen Knight and Dennis O’Driscoll have chosen six...
This article on the T. S. Eliot Prize was first published on the Poetry Book Society website in 2008. Congratulations to Sean O’Brien for winning the T. S. Eliot Prize 2007 for The Drowned Book (Picador Poetry). This other poets on the shortlist were: Ian Duhig – The Speed...
This article on the T. S. Eliot Prize was first published on the Poetry Book Society website in 2007. The T. S. Eliot Prize 2007 Shortlist has been announced. This year’s shortlisted poets are: Ian Duhig – The Speed of Dark (Picador Poetry) Alan Gillis – Hawks and Doves (Gallery...
This article on the T. S. Eliot Prize was first published on the Poetry Book Society website in 2007. The Poetry Book Society is pleased to announce that the winner of the T. S. Eliot Prize for the best single-author collection of poetry published in 2006 is: Seamus Heaney, for...
This article on the T. S. Eliot Prize was first published on the Poetry Book Society website in 2006. The Poetry Book Society is pleased to announce the Shortlist for the T. S. Eliot Prize 2006, to be awarded to the writer of the best new collection of poetry published...
This article on the T. S. Eliot Prize was first published on the Poetry Book Society website in 2006. The Poetry Book Society is delighted to announce the judges for the T. S. Eliot Prize for Poetry 2006, sponsored by Five. Sean O’Brien will serve as Chair of the...
