Add this TS Eliot Prize to his Forward Prize just a few months ago, and I'm wondering if Burnsy might almost be too cool for me anymore. Of course, I'm kidding. JB is one of the most casual, supportive people I know. And even when others have not been on board with my writing plans, JB has always unabashedly had my back.
So in these bleak winter days of boredom and attempted productivity, the news of his win is a real gift. Congrats and Thanks for the inspiration, JB! Bless you and your creative switch-hitting, and your ability to multi-task to the infinite. Please send a little bit of that magic my way as I prepare a bit of plate-spinning myself.
And finally, RE: the "controversy" surrounding the current state of the TS Eliot Prize. I agree wholeheartedly with Gillian Clarke. The arts most flourished when artists had the freedom and security to create that came from wealthy patron families. The Medicis, for example, were into all kinds of shit. A lot of it was dirty. But they understood that their responsibility was the use their money to enrich the world in some way-- not just hoard it all as profit. When corporations fund the arts, to me, that's just scale balancing. That's what they SHOULD be doing with all that money. Funding something soul-enriching.
Buy Black Cat Bone here. And further reading.
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