Indian-origin author-poet BhanuKapil has been named the winner of the prestigious T.S. Eliot Prize, named after the renowned 20th-century American-British poet.
Kapil, who was born in England and grew up in London, beat nine other shortlisted entries with her winning title ‘How to Wash a Heart’, which explores the relationship between an immigrant guest and a citizen host.
The prize, announced on Sunday, is seen as the most valuable prize in British poetry and the only major poetry prize judged purely by established poets. It comes with a winner’s cheque for 25,000 pounds and all the shortlisted poets are presented with cheques for 1,500 pounds each.
The 53-year-old, who lives between the UK and US, where she spent 21 years at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, has six books of poetry/prose to her credit, including ‘The Vertical Interrogation of Strangers’, ‘Schizophrene’ and ‘Ban en Banlieue’.
Last year, she also won the coveted American award, the Windham-Campbell Prize, in the poetry category in recognition of her literary achievements.