Scott Griffin, founder of The Griffin Trust For Excellence In Poetry and poet Jeramy Dodds, announced the International and Canadian shortlist for this year’s prize. Judges Robert Bringhurst (Canada), Jo Shapcott (UK) and C.D. Wright (USA) each read 539 books of poetry, from 40 countries, including 24 translations.
There are seven finalists – 4 International and 3 from Canada. Tomasz Różycki’s “Colonies”, translated by Mira Rosenthal appeared in the Shortlist. Różycki touches on themes important in his output, namely writing, history, love, and travels. 77 poems with exotic colonial titles, with plentiful disturbing and memorable images, come together in a cycle praising the power of poetic language and imagination.
The seven finalists will each be awarded $10,000 for their participation in the Shortlist Readings. The winners, to be announced at the Griffin Poetry Prize Awards evening on Thursday, June 5th, will each be awarded $65,000.
Tomasz Różycki is a Polish poet and translator. He studied Romance Languages at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, and taught French at the Foreign Languages Teaching College in Opole.
He has published six books of poetry: Vaterland (1997), Anima (1999), Chatauimaita (Country Cottage, 2001), Świat i Antyświat (World and Antiworld, 2003), the book-length poem Dwanaście stacji (Twelve Stations, 2004), Kolonie (Colonies, 2006) and The Forgotten Keys (2007). His work has appeared in leading Polish literary journals and also in German, Bulgarian, Lituanian, Ukrainian and German poetry anthologies. He lives in his hometown, Opole, with his wife and two children.
The Griffin Trust Award the world’s largest prize for a first edition single collection of poetry written in English. The Griffin Trust For Excellence In Poetry aims to spark the public’s imagination and raise awareness of the crucial role poetry plays in our cultural life.
Source: griffinpoetryprize.com, press materials, ed. & translated: Katarzyna Maksimiuk, 14.04.2014