This article on the T. S. Eliot Prize was first published on the Poetry Book Society website in 2002.
The Poetry Book Society and Prize sponsors www.bol.com are pleased to announce the Shortlist for the T. S. Eliot Prize 2002, to be awarded to the best collection of poetry published in 2002.
Judges Michael Longley (Chair), Fred D’Aguiar and Deryn Rees-Jones chose the following ten collections:
Simon Armitage – The Universal Home Doctor (Faber & Faber)
John Burnside – The Light Trap (Cape Poetry)
Paul Farley – The Ice Age (Picador Poetry)
David Harsent – Marriage (Faber & Faber)
Geoffrey Hill – The Orchards of Syon (Penguin Poetry)
E. A. Markham – A Rough Climate (Anvil Press)
Sinéad Morrissey – Between Here and There (Carcanet Press)
Paul Muldoon – Moy Sand and Gravel (Faber & Faber)
Alice Oswald – Dart (Faber & Faber)
Ruth Padel – Voodoo Shop (Chatto & Windus)
The judges will make their final decision on Monday 20 January 2003, when the prize of £10,000 will be presented by Mrs Valerie Eliot in a central London ceremony.
The T. S. Eliot Prize was inaugurated in 1993 to celebrate the Poetry Book Society’s 40th birthday and honour its founding poet. Previous winners are Ciaran Carson, Paul Muldoon, Mark Doty, Les Murray, Don Paterson, Ted Hughes, Hugo Williams, Michael Longley and Anne Carson.
On Sunday 19 January 2003, the shortlisted poets will read from their collections at the UCL Bloomsbury Theatre, London. Tickets are on sale now – the event always sells out, so do book early.
This article has been republished to provide a fuller picture of the T. S. Eliot Prize history. The Poetry Book Society ran the T. S. Eliot Prize until 2016, when the T. S. Eliot Foundation took over the Prize, the estate having supported it since its inception.
