Poets win major Costa prizes

Congratulations to Carol Ann Duffy for winning the Costa Prize for Poetry with her new collection, The Bees, the first published since she became Poet Laureate. StAnzagoers will recall her outstanding readings – which were sell-outs – at the festival in 2009. And congratulations to Matthew Hollis, whose acclaimed biography of Edward Thomas won the Costa Prize for Biography. Two poets have won prizes, but four have been honoured in a sense, if you include Thomas and the American poet Robert Frost, who also appears in the book. Matthew will be at StAnza in March, in conversation with Scotsman columnist Joyce McMillan about Edward Thomas, Frost and their important literary friendship. Tickets for StAnza go on sale 11 January.

Photo of Matthew Hollis by Claire McNamee.