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Aldeburgh First Collection Prize 2009

The winner of the Aldeburgh First Collection Prize 2009 - one of the most important and established poetry prizes in the UK - was announced at the 21st Aldeburgh Poetry Festival, 6-8 November. The recipient of this £3,000 major prize for the year’s best first collection is Scottish poet J O Morgan for Natural Mechanical (CB Editions).

The book - which was also shortlisted for the Forward Best First Collection Prize - comprises a single narrative poem recounting a childhood on the Isle of Skye. In a year attracting a record 92 entries, Aldeburgh judges (and poets) David Constantine, Mimi Khalvati and Michael Laskey (Chair) were unanimous in their final decision.

Mimi Khalvati said:
“Such an engaging, affecting book. It effortlessly combines different verse-forms: remarkable, particularly for a first collection, in deftly tackling a book-length narrative, and also refreshing in its sense of tradition.”

Michael Laskey said:
“We admired this book for its live language and sophisticated story-telling, but we loved it for its generosity, its unsentimental celebration of a disadvantaged boy making good.”

Responding to news of his win, J O Morgan (31) said:
“I’ve never thought of it as a prize-winning book. I had hoped it might affect people in the way books have affected me in the past. That’s all I’ve ever wanted from any of the works I’ve undertaken. I really hope the book continues to be enjoyed by many more people.”

Click to read Alison Flood’s blog for The Guardian on The Aldeburgh First Collection Prize.

 Further information, contact: Alice Kent, 01986 835950 or email (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)