The award was established by King George V in 1933 and is given to those who have been engaged in outstanding poetic activity for many years.
The poet and translator, who has lived in the United Kingdom since 1956 and publishes under the name George Szirtes, was awarded this year’s King’s Gold Medal for Poetry by Charles III, the monarch of the United Kingdom. The award was established in 1933 at the suggestion of the poet John Masefield, for honoring those who have demonstrated outstanding poetic achievement over many years. George Szirtes has become a prominent literary figure in the United Kingdom, having published thirteen collections of poetry dealing with contemporary themes. The award is presented annually to a person from the United Kingdom or the British Commonwealth.
Although English was my second language, it quickly became my first in everyday life. I had no expectations, no background or formal training, so winning the Medal for Poetry surpasses everything.”
George Szirtes received the T. S. Eliot Prize in 2004, and in 2020 he won the £10,000 James Tait Black Prize in the biography category for his book Előhívás (The Photographer at Sixteen). In addition to the works of Sándor Márai and Magda Szabó, Szirtes has also translated László Krasznahorkai’s Sátántangó (Satantango), for which he was nominated for the American Best Translated Book Award.
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Via litera.hu; Featured image: Андрей Романенко, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The post George Szirtes Receives the Royal Gold Medal for Poetry appeared first on Hungary Today.
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