Don Paterson scoops Forward prize
8th October 2009
Don Paterson has won the Forward poetry prize for best collection with Rain.
The Scottish poet took home the GBP 10,000 cheque after seeing off competition from a shortlist which included Peter Porter, Sharon Olds and Glyn Maxwell.
Jean Sprackland, one of the Forward judges, told the Scotsman: 'We felt it was a very serious endeavour and a book that stayed in the memory, with some of the most moving poems that we had read.'
Rain contains two poems which Paterson wrote for friend and poet Michael Donaghy, who died in 2004 at the age of 50.
David Harsent, judge and former Forward prize winner, described this year's shortlist as 'atrociously strong' in an interview with the Guardian and said it was a 'close call' to choose between the competing poets.
Paterson has written four other collections of poetry - Nil Nil, God's Gift to Women, The Eyes and Landing Light.
He has also received several awards, including the Forward prize for best first collection in 1993 and the Whitbread Prize for Poetry in 2004.