Double accolade for former writer in residence

Don Paterson, former University writer in residence, is celebrating two major awards for his poetry.

Don recently won the highly prestigious poetry section of the Whitbread Prize and has also been awarded the TS Eliot prize for poetry for the second time. He is the first poet to win this prize twice.

He was awarded the Whitbread prize for his new poetry collection entitled 'Landing Light'. The Whitbread awards committee described it as, "Ceaselessly enquiring, deftly tuned to into the emotional crackle of the world, (exploring) the swings of light and dark that mark out our most troubled feelings".

Commenting on the award, Don acknowledged the part that the University played in his development as a writer. He said, "I was very grateful for the experience at Dundee because it gave the whole project some legitimacy for me - people need to treat you as a writer before you can believe you are one."

He has kindly granted permission for Contact to publish a poem from his upcoming book of Rilke's Sonnets to Orpheus.

Poetry box

by Don Paterson

The Ball

after Rilke

What happened to that little brotherhood,
lords of the scattered gardens of the city...
we were all so shy, I never understood
how we hooked up in the first place; like the lamb

with the scroll that spoke, we too spoke in silence.
It seemed when we were happy it was no-one's;
whose ball was it? Even in the anxiety
of that last summer, it melted in the scrum.

The street leaned like a stage-set, the traffic
rolled around us, like huge toys; nobody
knew us. What was real in that All?

Nothing. Just the ball. Its glorious arc.
Not even the kids... but sometimes one, already
fading, stepped below it as it fell.

Poetry at DCA

Wednesday 4 February 7.30pm. The University's poetry series continues with readings from visiting poets Vicki Feaver and John Glenday. Dundee Contemporary Arts, Nethergate. Tickets £3.30/£2