A Scattering

Synopsis

Winner of the Costa Book of the Year award 2009, and also shortlisted for the Forward Prize and the T S Eliot Prize. A Scattering is Christopher Reid's tribute to his wife, Lucinda Gane, who died in October 2005. It consists of four poetic sequences, the first written during her final illness, and the other three at intervals after her death. He chronicles the moment of her death in eight perfectly weighted words: "Sparse breaths, then none / and it was done." 'A beautiful book... [that] performs the miracle of bringing the dead back to life.' Adam Newey, The Guardian Review 'Immensely moving. Reid is a first-rate poet and this is his best book to date.' Wendy Cope Christopher Reid received the Somerset Maugham Award and the Hawthornden Prize for his first collection, Arcadia, a Chomondeley Award in 1995, and the 2000 Signal Poetry Award for his children's collection. He has twice been nominated for the Whitbread (Costa) Awards. His edition of Letters of Ted Hughes appeared in 2007.