TS Eliot Prize Shortlist Features Poetic Elegies by Notable Authors

The 2024 TS Eliot Prize for poetry has shortlisted ten poets, including Raymond Antrobus, Carl Phillips, and Karen McCarthy Woolf. Among them is Gboyega Odubanjo, a British-Nigerian poet who tragically passed away at the age of 27 after going missing during the Shambala music festival. His debut collection, 'Adam', was published posthumously and explores themes of loss and identity, inspired by the discovery of an unidentified Black child's remains in the River Thames in 2001. The prize, which awards £25,000 to the best new poetry collection published in the UK or Ireland, highlights a diverse range of styles and themes, including elegy, humor, and intimacy. The judging chair, Mimi Khalvati, noted the strong presence of elegy in the shortlisted works, reflecting the current societal challenges. The shortlisted poets will read their works at an event at the Southbank Centre on January 12, with the winner announced the following day. Odubanjo's death, ruled an accident, has led to a fundraiser that raised over £80,000 to support low-income Black writers through the Gboyega Odubanjo Foundation.