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Dannie Abse wins major poetry award
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Dannie Abse, the acclaimed Cardiff-born poet, novelist and playwright, has been announced as the winner of the prestigious Roland Mathias Prize for 2007.
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Abse's winning collection of 39 poems Running Late (published by Hutchinson) looks back across a life of writing, medicine and love.
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The prize was announced at a ceremony organised by The Brecknock Society & Museum Friends in association with ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales in Roland Mathias's home town of Brecon, tonight (Friday 27 April 2007).
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Roland Mathias's son Glyn, the former broadcaster, who chaired the judging panel said:
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"The panel of judges felt that Running Late contains wonderful evocations of atmosphere, regret, longing for the simple, familiar things – and anticipation of it all passing.
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"Every poem has something – some phrasing, some image that gives the reader that tremor of sudden recognition. He has always had this extraordinary skill in conveying love believably and in moving the reader."
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Dannie Abse was born in Cardiff in 1923 to Jewish parents. He studied medicine in Wales and at King's College, London, qualifying as a doctor in 1950.
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His first collection of poetry, After Every Green Thing, was published in 1948, and he combined careers as both a doctor and writer, aspects of his life that, together with his Jewish background and Welsh nationality, are integral themes in his poetry.
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The £2,000 prize – for Welsh writing in English – is awarded for a work published over the past two years in the field of poetry, short stories, literary criticism or Welsh history. It is a biennial award open to any writer born in Wales or currently based in Wales.
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Dannie Abse's Running Late was selected by the judges in what Glyn Mathias described as "a very close decision" ahead of books of poetry by Phillip Gross and Tony Conran and a study of RS Thomas by academic Tony Brown.
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The panel of judges included Professor Jane Aaron of the University of Glamorgan, poet and critic Sam Adams, literary historian Moira Dearnley, and novelist and poet Christopher Meredith.
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The Roland Mathias Prize was established in honour of the poet and author – now aged 91 – who has played a major part in establishing Welsh writing in English as a distinctive literary genre.
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´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales Publicity
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