A collection of poems by University of Glamorgan Professor Philip Gross has scooped the UK’s foremost prize for poetry, the prestigious TS Eliot prize at a ceremony in London last week.
Phillip beat tough competition, including two former winners, with his collection of poems ‘The Water Table’- detailed and lyrical meditations on the ever-changing waters of the Severn estuary.
The TS Eliot prize is known as the UK’s most lucrative and high profile poetry prize.
Simon Armitage, who chaired the panel of three poets said he hoped the win would introduce people to a new voice in contemporary poetry.
He said The Water Table stood out because it was not merely a collection of poems but also "so obviously a book".
Armitage added, "It is so concentrated and keen-eyed and patient. The poems have a beauty and a craft to the writing and it’s hard to imagine how he kept it up over 64 pages."