Don Paterson
Encyclopedia
Don Paterson, OBE
, FRSL
(born 1963) is a Scottish poet, writer and musician.
. He won an Eric Gregory Award
in 1990 and his poem A Private Bottling won the Arvon Foundation International Poetry Competition in 1993. He was included on the list of 20 poets chosen for the Poetry Society
's 'New Generation Poets' promotion in 1994. In 2002 he was awarded a Scottish Arts Council
Creative Scotland Award.
His first collection of poetry, Nil Nil (1993), won the Forward Poetry Prize
for Best First Collection. God's Gift to Women (1997) won the T. S. Eliot Prize
and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize
. The Eyes, adaptations of the work of Spanish poet Antonio Machado
(1875–1939), was published in 1999. He is also editor of 101 Sonnets: From Shakespeare to Heaney
(1999) and of Last Words: New Poetry for the New Century (1999) with Jo Shapcott
. His collection of poems, Landing Light (2003), won both the 2003 T. S. Eliot Prize
and the 2003 Whitbread Poetry Award
. He has also published three collections of aphorisms, The Book of Shadows (2004), The Blind Eye (2007) and Best Thought, Worst Thought (2008). Orpheus, his version of Rilke's Die Sonette an Orpheus, was published in 2006.
Don Paterson teaches in the school of English at the University of St Andrews
and is poetry editor for the London publishers Picador
. An accomplished jazz guitarist, he works solo and for ten years ran the jazz-folk ensemble, Lammas, with Tim Garland
. He lives in St Andrews
, Scotland.
He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2008 Birthday Honours. He was awarded the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry
alongside the 2010 New Year Honours.
As editor
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, FRSL
Royal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
(born 1963) is a Scottish poet, writer and musician.
Background
Paterson was born in DundeeDundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
. He won an Eric Gregory Award
Eric Gregory Award
The Eric Gregory Award is given by the Society of Authors to British poets under 30 on submission. The awards are up to a sum value of £24000 annually....
in 1990 and his poem A Private Bottling won the Arvon Foundation International Poetry Competition in 1993. He was included on the list of 20 poets chosen for the Poetry Society
Poetry Society
The Poetry Society is a membership organisation, open to all, whose stated aim is "to promote the study, use and enjoyment of poetry".The Society was founded in London in February 1909 as the Poetry Recital Society, becoming the Poetry Society in 1912...
's 'New Generation Poets' promotion in 1994. In 2002 he was awarded a Scottish Arts Council
Scottish Arts Council
The Scottish Arts Council is a Scottish public body that distributes funding from the Scottish Government, and is the leading national organisation for the funding, development and promotion of the arts in Scotland...
Creative Scotland Award.
His first collection of poetry, Nil Nil (1993), won the Forward Poetry Prize
Forward Poetry Prize
The Forward Poetry Prizes were created in 1991. The aim of the prizes is to extend the audience for contemporary poetry. Until the T.S. Eliot Prize remuneration was increased to £15,000 plus £1000 to each of nine runners-up, the Forward was the United Kingdom's most valuable annual poetry...
for Best First Collection. God's Gift to Women (1997) won the T. S. Eliot Prize
T. S. Eliot Prize
The T. S. Eliot Prize for Poetry is awarded by the Poetry Book Society to "the best collection of new verse in English first published in the UK or the Republic of Ireland" in any particular year. The Prize was inaugurated in 1993 in celebration of the Poetry Book Society's 40th birthday and in...
and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize
Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize
The Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize is a British literary prize established in 1963 in tribute to Geoffrey Faber, founder and first Chairman publisher Faber & Faber...
. The Eyes, adaptations of the work of Spanish poet Antonio Machado
Antonio Machado
Antonio Cipriano José María y Francisco de Santa Ana Machado y Ruiz, known as Antonio Machado was a Spanish poet and one of the leading figures of the Spanish literary movement known as the Generation of '98....
(1875–1939), was published in 1999. He is also editor of 101 Sonnets: From Shakespeare to Heaney
Heaney
Heaney is a surname of Irish origin. People with the name include:* Aidan Heaney, a retired English football player* Charles Heaney, an American photographer and painter* Craig Heaney, a British actor of screen, stage and radio...
(1999) and of Last Words: New Poetry for the New Century (1999) with Jo Shapcott
Jo Shapcott
Jo Shapcott FRSL, is an English poet, editor and lecturer who has won the National Poetry Competition, the Commonwealth Poetry Prize, the Costa Book of the Year Award, a Forward Poetry Prize and the Cholmondeley Award.-Career:...
. His collection of poems, Landing Light (2003), won both the 2003 T. S. Eliot Prize
T. S. Eliot Prize
The T. S. Eliot Prize for Poetry is awarded by the Poetry Book Society to "the best collection of new verse in English first published in the UK or the Republic of Ireland" in any particular year. The Prize was inaugurated in 1993 in celebration of the Poetry Book Society's 40th birthday and in...
and the 2003 Whitbread Poetry Award
2003 Whitbread Awards
-Children's Book:Winner:*David Almond, The Fire-EatersShortlist:*Catherine Fisher, The Oracle*Michael Morpurgo, Private Peaceful*Jeanne Willis, Naked Without a Hat-First Novel:Winner:*DBC Pierre, Vernon God LittleShortlist:...
. He has also published three collections of aphorisms, The Book of Shadows (2004), The Blind Eye (2007) and Best Thought, Worst Thought (2008). Orpheus, his version of Rilke's Die Sonette an Orpheus, was published in 2006.
Don Paterson teaches in the school of English at the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
and is poetry editor for the London publishers Picador
Picador (imprint)
Picador is an imprint of Pan Macmillan in the United Kingdom and Australia and of Macmillan Publishing in the United States. Both companies are owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group....
. An accomplished jazz guitarist, he works solo and for ten years ran the jazz-folk ensemble, Lammas, with Tim Garland
Tim Garland
Tim Garland is a British jazz saxophonist, composer and band-leader. He is also known for his innovative bass clarinet playing and for his prolific output as composer, blurring the boundaries between modern jazz and classical concert music.As a performer, he has worked widely both in Britain and...
. He lives in St Andrews
St Andrews
St Andrews is a university town and former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.St Andrews has a population of 16,680, making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife....
, Scotland.
He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2008 Birthday Honours. He was awarded the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry
Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry
The Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry is awarded for a book of verse published by someone in any of the Commonwealth realms. Originally the award was open only to British subjects living in the United Kingdom, but in 1985 the scope was extended to include people from the rest of the Commonwealth realms...
alongside the 2010 New Year Honours.
Poetry collections
- Nil Nil (1993) — winner of the Forward Poetry PrizeForward Poetry PrizeThe Forward Poetry Prizes were created in 1991. The aim of the prizes is to extend the audience for contemporary poetry. Until the T.S. Eliot Prize remuneration was increased to £15,000 plus £1000 to each of nine runners-up, the Forward was the United Kingdom's most valuable annual poetry...
for Best First Collection - God's Gift to Women (1997)
- The Eyes (1999), after MachadoAntonio MachadoAntonio Cipriano José María y Francisco de Santa Ana Machado y Ruiz, known as Antonio Machado was a Spanish poet and one of the leading figures of the Spanish literary movement known as the Generation of '98....
- White Lie (2001)
- Landing Light (2003)
- Orpheus (2006), after RilkeRainer Maria RilkeRené Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke , better known as Rainer Maria Rilke, was a Bohemian–Austrian poet. He is considered one of the most significant poets in the German language...
- RainRain (poetry collection)Rain is a collection of poetry by the Scottish poet Don Paterson.It was published in 2009 by Faber and Faber and won the Forward poetry prize for best poetry collection of the same year....
(2009) Winner of Forward Poetry Prize
As editor
- 101 Sonnets (1999)
- Last Words (1999) with (Jo ShapcottJo ShapcottJo Shapcott FRSL, is an English poet, editor and lecturer who has won the National Poetry Competition, the Commonwealth Poetry Prize, the Costa Book of the Year Award, a Forward Poetry Prize and the Cholmondeley Award.-Career:...
) - Robert Burns, poems selected by Don Paterson (2001)
- New British Poetry (with Charles SimicCharles SimicDušan "Charles" Simić is a Serbian-American poet, and was co-Poetry Editor of the Paris Review. He was appointed the fifteenth Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 2007.-Early years:...
) (2004)
Drama
- The Land Of Cakes (with Gordon McPhersonGordon McPhersonGordon McPherson is a Scottish composer. He studied at the University of York, England, returning there for his doctorate, continuing with post-doctoral research at the Royal Northern College of Music....
) (2001) - A'body's Aberdee (2001)
Radio drama
- Kailyard Blues (1999)
- Ringing the Changes (1999) with (Jo ShapcottJo ShapcottJo Shapcott FRSL, is an English poet, editor and lecturer who has won the National Poetry Competition, the Commonwealth Poetry Prize, the Costa Book of the Year Award, a Forward Poetry Prize and the Cholmondeley Award.-Career:...
) - The Aberdee Brief (2000)
- The Latecomers (2001)
Aphorisms
- The Book of Shadows (2004)
- The Blind Eye (2007)
- Best Thought, Worst Thought (2008)