Tuesday 9 October 2012

GRUNDY GLORY ONCE AGAIN

Hugo Grundy (front, light blue shirt), Richard E Grant, Grace Nichols and other winners
Hugo Grundy, an Irish boy who lives in England, has won the Betjeman Poetry Competition. Actor Richard E Grant awarded the 10 year old his prize in a ceremony held at St Pancras International on National Poetry Day on Thursday.

I first heard of Hugo when he and his brother Dualtagh were joint first prize winners in the Ted Hughes Young Poets' Award, adjudicated by Andrew Motion, in 2008.

They have been bagging prizes ever since and their mother, Siobhán, keeps me up to date with all their successes. Remember their names - these kids are going to be big in the writing world in the future.

Hugo said, to his local paper: 'I’m delighted because it’s the biggest competition I have ever entered. When I came up to read my poem I felt quite intense and shaky but when I got into reading it I felt proud and calm.'

Go here to read Hugo's winning poem 'Peter's Room' and remember as you read it that he is 10 years old!!!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautiful. And strangely juxtaposed in my mind beside thoughts on P.L. Travers whom I found an interview with in an old issue of the Paris Review Interviews and was led back to what held my attention as a child reader.

Group 8 said...

I shall check that out, Jill. Thanks.

Emily said...

Holy moly, what a fantastic talent, I love how the poem moves x

Doireann said...

Oh, Nuala. Thanks so much for posting this link. That is such a beautiful poem. Hugo has a bright future ahead. What fantastic names those brothers have!

Tania Hershman said...

Blimey, his poem is just fantastic! And are you saying he and his brother won an award when he was 6? Wow...congrats to Hugh Grundy!

Group 8 said...

Tania - yes. They have been scooping up awards for years.