Jo Shapcott
Encyclopedia
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
.
, St Hilda's College, Oxford
, and received a Harkness Fellowship
to Harvard. She teaches on the MA in Creative Writing at Royal Holloway, University of London
. She was a Visiting Professor at the School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics, Newcastle University, was a Visiting Professor at the London Institute and was Royal Literary Fund
Fellow at Oxford Brookes University
from 2003-2005. She is President of the Poetry Society
, a longstanding tutor for the Arvon Foundation
.
Shapcott was appointed as CBE
in 2002. She initially accepted the honour but decided to refuse during the period when the British government made preparations to invade Iraq. She wrote to the Cabinet Office saying " I can't possibly accept this." She commented, " I was being diagnosed and treated for cancer, so great public statements weren't on the cards really. I was just too ill." "Jo Shapcott: the book of life" 27 January 2011. Guardian Interview after Costa Prize win
twice, in 1985 and 1991. Her Book: Poems 1988-1998 (2000; reprinted 2006) consists of poetry from her three earlier collections: Electroplating the Baby (1988), which won the Commonwealth Poetry Prize for Best First Collection, Phrase Book (1992), and My Life Asleep (1998), which won the Forward Poetry Prize (Best Collection). Together with Matthew Sweeney
, she edited Emergency Kit: Poems for Strange Times (1996), an international anthology of contemporary poetry in English. Her 2002 book Tender Taxes is a collection of English versions (or translations) of Rainer Maria Rilke
's French poems. Her 2002 collection of essays Elizabeth Bishop: Poet of the Periphery was co-edited with Linda Anderson. In 2006, Fiona Samson in the The Guardian
summarised her work: "Shapcott remains overwhelmingly a poet of presence, renegotiating the concrete world with as much brio as her own dancing cow. The consummate openness of this brilliantly intelligent selection extends the possibilities for poetry written in English. It reminds us that she remains a pioneer among contemporary British writers. We should be grateful for her."
In 2010, Shapcott published Of Mutability with Faber and Faber
, her first collection for 12 years. The 45 poems explore the nature of change, in the body, within the natural world and inside relationships. The book of poems was awarded the Costa Book of the Year
for 2010, beating contenders in Fiction, Non-Fiction and other categories. The judges commented that the book was accessible, "very special and unusual and uplifting... The subject matter was so relevant that if any poetry book could capture the spirit of life in 2011, this would be it". Sinclair Mackay in the Daily Telegraph wrote: "Of Mutability, is so especially rich and resonant that it deserves the widest possible readership, even among those who never usually think of reading poems...And there is a dazzling variety of tone and colour and subject throughout - Shapcott's language dances lightly, and often with wit."
The Transformers (2011) is a collection of public lectures given by Shapcott as part of her Professorship at Newcastle.
She has written lyrics or had her poems set to music by composers such as Nigel Osborne
, Errollyn Wallen
and John Woolrich. The American composer Stephen Montague
created the work The Creatures Indoors, from her poetry. It was premiered by the London Symphony Orchestra
at the Barbican Centre
in London in 1997.
National Poetry Competition
The National Poetry Competition is an annual poetry prize established in 1978. It is run by the UK-based Poetry Society and accepts entries from all over the world, with over 10,000 poems being submitted to the competition each year...
, the Commonwealth Poetry Prize, the Costa Book of the Year Award
Costa Book Awards
The Costa Book Awards are a series of literary awards given to books by authors based in Great Britain and Ireland. They were known as the Whitbread Book Awards until 2005, after which Costa Coffee, a subsidiary of Whitbread, took over sponsorship....
, a 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...
and the Cholmondeley Award
Cholmondeley Award
The Cholmondeley Award is an annual award for poetry given by the Society of Authors in the United Kingdom. Awards honour distinguished poets, from a fund endowed by the late Dowager Marchioness of Cholmondeley in 1966...
.
Career
Shapcott studied as an undergraduate at Trinity College, DublinTrinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
, St Hilda's College, Oxford
St Hilda's College, Oxford
St Hilda's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England.The college was founded in 1893 as a hall for women, and remained an all-women's college until 2006....
, and received a Harkness Fellowship
Harkness Fellowship
The Harkness Fellowships are a programme run by the Commonwealth Fund of New York City. They were established to reciprocate the Rhodes Scholarships and enable Fellows from several countries to spend time studying in the United States...
to Harvard. She teaches on the MA in Creative Writing at Royal Holloway, University of London
Royal Holloway, University of London
Royal Holloway, University of London is a constituent college of the University of London. The college has three faculties, 18 academic departments, and about 8,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students from over 130 different countries...
. She was a Visiting Professor at the School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics, Newcastle University, was a Visiting Professor at the London Institute and was Royal Literary Fund
Royal Literary Fund
The Royal Literary Fund is a benevolent fund set up to help published British writers in financial difficulties. It was founded by Reverend David Williams in 1790 and has received bequests and donations, including royal patronage, ever since...
Fellow at Oxford Brookes University
Oxford Brookes University
Oxford Brookes University is a new university in Oxford, England. It was named to honour the school's founding principal, John Brookes. It has been ranked as the best new university by the Sunday Times University Guide 10 years in a row...
from 2003-2005. She is President of 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...
, a longstanding tutor for the Arvon Foundation
Arvon Foundation
The Arvon Foundation is a charitable organisation in the United Kingdom which promotes creative writing. It is based in the Free Word Centre for literature, literacy and free expression in London.-History:...
.
Shapcott was appointed as CBE
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...
in 2002. She initially accepted the honour but decided to refuse during the period when the British government made preparations to invade Iraq. She wrote to the Cabinet Office saying " I can't possibly accept this." She commented, " I was being diagnosed and treated for cancer, so great public statements weren't on the cards really. I was just too ill." "Jo Shapcott: the book of life" 27 January 2011. Guardian Interview after Costa Prize win
Writing
Shapcott has won the National Poetry CompetitionNational Poetry Competition
The National Poetry Competition is an annual poetry prize established in 1978. It is run by the UK-based Poetry Society and accepts entries from all over the world, with over 10,000 poems being submitted to the competition each year...
twice, in 1985 and 1991. Her Book: Poems 1988-1998 (2000; reprinted 2006) consists of poetry from her three earlier collections: Electroplating the Baby (1988), which won the Commonwealth Poetry Prize for Best First Collection, Phrase Book (1992), and My Life Asleep (1998), which won the Forward Poetry Prize (Best Collection). Together with Matthew Sweeney
Matthew Sweeney
-Life:He graduated from Gormanston College, Polytechnic of North London and University of Freiburg, in 1979.He had residencies at the University of East Anglia, and South Bank Centre.He has lived for many years in London.-Awards:...
, she edited Emergency Kit: Poems for Strange Times (1996), an international anthology of contemporary poetry in English. Her 2002 book Tender Taxes is a collection of English versions (or translations) of Rainer Maria Rilke
Rainer Maria Rilke
René 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...
's French poems. Her 2002 collection of essays Elizabeth Bishop: Poet of the Periphery was co-edited with Linda Anderson. In 2006, Fiona Samson in the The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
summarised her work: "Shapcott remains overwhelmingly a poet of presence, renegotiating the concrete world with as much brio as her own dancing cow. The consummate openness of this brilliantly intelligent selection extends the possibilities for poetry written in English. It reminds us that she remains a pioneer among contemporary British writers. We should be grateful for her."
In 2010, Shapcott published Of Mutability with Faber and Faber
Faber and Faber
Faber and Faber Limited, often abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in the UK, notable in particular for publishing a great deal of poetry and for its former editor T. S. Eliot. Faber has a rich tradition of publishing a wide range of fiction, non fiction, drama, film and music...
, her first collection for 12 years. The 45 poems explore the nature of change, in the body, within the natural world and inside relationships. The book of poems was awarded the Costa Book of the Year
2010 Costa Book Awards
The shortlists were announced on 17 November 2010. The winners in each category were announced on 4 January 2011.-Children's Book:Winner:*Jason Wallace, Out of ShadowsShortlist:*Lucy Christopher, Flyaway*Sharon Dogar, Annexed...
for 2010, beating contenders in Fiction, Non-Fiction and other categories. The judges commented that the book was accessible, "very special and unusual and uplifting... The subject matter was so relevant that if any poetry book could capture the spirit of life in 2011, this would be it". Sinclair Mackay in the Daily Telegraph wrote: "Of Mutability, is so especially rich and resonant that it deserves the widest possible readership, even among those who never usually think of reading poems...And there is a dazzling variety of tone and colour and subject throughout - Shapcott's language dances lightly, and often with wit."
The Transformers (2011) is a collection of public lectures given by Shapcott as part of her Professorship at Newcastle.
She has written lyrics or had her poems set to music by composers such as Nigel Osborne
Nigel Osborne
Nigel Osborne MBE, FRCM is a British composer.He serves as Reid Professor of music at the University of Edinburgh and has been teaching at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover.He studied composition with Kenneth Leighton ,...
, Errollyn Wallen
Errollyn Wallen
Errollyn Wallen is a Belize born, British composer. She was the first black woman to have a work performed at The Proms She studied composition at Goldsmith's College and at Kings College, London University...
and John Woolrich. The American composer Stephen Montague
Stephen Montague
Stephen Montague is a composer who grew up in West Virginia and Florida.-Education:After studying piano, conducting and composition at Florida State University B.M 1965 with Honors, M.M 1967, he received a doctorate in composition from Ohio State University in 1972...
created the work The Creatures Indoors, from her poetry. It was premiered by the London Symphony Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
at the Barbican Centre
Barbican Centre
The Barbican Centre is the largest performing arts centre in Europe. Located in the City of London, England, the Centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibitions. It also houses a library, three restaurants, and a conservatory...
in London in 1997.
Prizes and Awards
- 1982 South West Arts Literature Award
- 1985 National Poetry CompetitionNational Poetry CompetitionThe National Poetry Competition is an annual poetry prize established in 1978. It is run by the UK-based Poetry Society and accepts entries from all over the world, with over 10,000 poems being submitted to the competition each year...
, First Prize - 1989 Commonwealth Poetry Prize, Best First Collection, Electroplating the Baby
- 1989 New Statesman Prudence Farmer Award
- 1991 National Poetry Competition, First Prize
- 1999 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...
, Best Poetry Collection of the Year, My Life Asleep - 2002 Created CBEOrder of the British EmpireThe 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...
(Refused) - 2006 Cholmondeley AwardCholmondeley AwardThe Cholmondeley Award is an annual award for poetry given by the Society of Authors in the United Kingdom. Awards honour distinguished poets, from a fund endowed by the late Dowager Marchioness of Cholmondeley in 1966...
- 2010 Costa Book Award2010 Costa Book AwardsThe shortlists were announced on 17 November 2010. The winners in each category were announced on 4 January 2011.-Children's Book:Winner:*Jason Wallace, Out of ShadowsShortlist:*Lucy Christopher, Flyaway*Sharon Dogar, Annexed...
, Poetry, Of Mutability
Poetry Collections
- Electroplating the Baby BloodaxeBloodaxe BooksBloodaxe Books is a British publishing house specialising in poetry.-History:It was founded in 1978 in Newcastle upon Tyne by Neil Astley, who is still editor and managing director. Joined in 1982 by chairman Simon Thirsk, Astley was later awarded an honorary D.Litt by Newcastle University in 1995...
, 1988 - Phrase Book Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, 1992 - A Journey to the Inner Eye: A Guide for All. South Bank CentreSouth Bank CentreSouthbank Centre is a complex of artistic venues in London, UK, on the South Bank of the River Thames between County Hall and Waterloo Bridge. It comprises three main buildings , and is Europe’s largest centre for the arts. It attracts more than three million visitors annually...
, 1996 - Motherland Gwaithel & Gilwern, 1996
- Penguin Modern Poets; book 12 (featuring Helen DunmoreHelen DunmoreHelen Dunmore is a British poet, novelist and children's writer. Educated at the University of York, she now lives in Bristol....
, Matthew SweeneyMatthew Sweeney-Life:He graduated from Gormanston College, Polytechnic of North London and University of Freiburg, in 1979.He had residencies at the University of East Anglia, and South Bank Centre.He has lived for many years in London.-Awards:...
and Jo Shapcott). Penguin BooksPenguin BooksPenguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
, 1997 - My Life Asleep, Oxford University Press, 1998
- Poetry Quartets No. 5, (audio featuring Helen Dunmore, U. A. Fanthorpe, Elizabeth Jennings, Jo Shapcott) Bloodaxe, 1999
- Her Book: Poems 1988-1998, Faber and FaberFaber and FaberFaber and Faber Limited, often abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in the UK, notable in particular for publishing a great deal of poetry and for its former editor T. S. Eliot. Faber has a rich tradition of publishing a wide range of fiction, non fiction, drama, film and music...
, 2000; reprinted 2006 - Tender Taxes, Faber and Faber, 2002
- Of Mutability Faber and Faber, 2010
Collected prose
- Elizabeth Bishop: Poet of the Periphery, Bloodaxe, 2002
- The Transformers: The: Newcastle/Bloodaxe Poetry Lectures. Bloodaxe, 2011
Edited collections
- Emergency Kit: Poems for Strange Times (edited with Matthew Sweeney) Faber and Faber, 1996
- Last Words: New Poetry for the New Century (edited with Don Paterson) Picador, 1999
- Elizabeth Bishop: Poet of the Periphery (edited with Linda Anderson) Newcastle/Bloodaxe Poetry Series: 1, 2002
External links
- Profile, Contemporary Writers, The British Council
- Profile at the Poetry Foundation
- Profile at The Poetry Archive
- Profile at Poetry Translation Centre, with article, audio and video links
- Guardian Interview "Jo Shapcott: I'm not someone chasing her own ambulance" by Sarah Crown, July 2010. "Jo Shapcott: the book of life" 27 January 2011. Guardian Interview after Costa Prize win
- Interview, Lidia Vianu, November 2002 from Desperado Literature.
- An interview with Jo Shapcott, Deryn Rees-Jones, University of Liverpool
- Shapcott reading her poems. Video