Howe wins 2015 T S Eliot Prize

In the UK, Sarah Howe has won the 2015 T S Eliot Prize for her debut poetry collection Loop of Jade (Chatto & Windus), the first time a debut has won the prize. The collection is an exploration of Howe’s Anglo-Chinese heritage as she returns to Hong Kong, her place of birth, in search of her roots, and was commended by chair of judges Pascale Petit for ‘its startling exploration of gender and injustice through place and identity, its erudition, and powerful imagery as well as her daring experiment with form’. Loop of Jade was chosen from a shortlist of ten, which included four previous winners of the T S Eliot Prize, among them Australian Les Murray for Waiting for the Past (Black Inc.). Established in 1993 and administered by the Poetry Book Society, the prize is awarded to the best new collection of poetry published in the UK and Ireland in each year, with the winner receiving £20,000 (A$41,380) and each shortlisted author receiving £1500 (A$3100). For more information, visit the Poetry Book Society website here.

Category: International news