Don Paterson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Don Paterson OBE FRSE FRSL
at 2013 Bridlington Poetry Festival
Born	Donald Paterson 1963 (age 61–62) Dundee, Scotland
Nationality	Scottish
Notable works	Nil Nil (1993); God's Gift to Women (1997); Landing Light (2003)
Notable awards	Eric Gregory Award; Forward Poetry Prize; T. S. Eliot Prize; Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize

Donald Paterson (born in 1963 in Dundee, Scotland) is a famous Scottish poet, writer, and musician. He has won many important awards for his work. These include the Forward Poetry Prize, the T. S. Eliot Prize, and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize. In 2009, he received the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry, which is a very special honor.

Becoming a Writer and Poet

Don Paterson started gaining recognition early in his career. In 1990, he won an Eric Gregory Award. This award helps young poets develop their talent. His poem "A Private Bottling" won the Arvon Foundation International Poetry Competition in 1993. This showed he was a rising star in the poetry world.

In 1994, he was chosen as one of the "New Generation Poets" by the Poetry Society. This list featured 20 promising poets. Later, in 2002, he received a Creative Scotland Award from the Scottish Arts Council. This award supports artists in Scotland.

His Poetry Collections

Paterson's first collection of poems was called Nil Nil, published in 1993. It won the Forward Poetry Prize for Best First Collection. His next book, God's Gift to Women (1997), won two major awards: the T. S. Eliot Prize and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize.

He also adapted the work of Spanish poet Antonio Machado (1875–1939) in a book called The Eyes (1999). Don Paterson also enjoys putting together collections of other poets' work. He edited 101 Sonnets: From Shakespeare to Heaney (1999). He also co-edited Last Words: New Poetry for the New Century (1999) with Jo Shapcott.

One of his most famous poetry collections is Landing Light (2003). This book won both the 2003 T. S. Eliot Prize and the 2003 Whitbread Poetry Award.

Other Writings

Besides poetry, Don Paterson has written three collections of aphorisms. Aphorisms are short, clever sayings that express a general truth. His collections are The Book of Shadows (2004), The Blind Eye (2007), and Best Thought, Worst Thought (2008). He also created his own version of Rilke's Die Sonette an Orpheus, which he called Orpheus (2006).

In 2023, he published a memoir called Toy Fights: A Boyhood. A memoir is a book about a part of the author's own life.

Teaching and Music

Don Paterson shares his knowledge with others. He teaches in the English department at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. For over 25 years, he was also the poetry editor for Picador, a publishing company in London. This meant he helped choose and prepare poetry books for publication.

He is also a talented jazz guitarist. He performs by himself and used to be part of a jazz-folk band called Lammas for ten years. He played with Tim Garland in this group.

In 2012, Don Paterson wrote an open letter in a newspaper called The Herald. In this letter, he shared his thoughts about how arts funding was managed by Creative Scotland, the country's arts council. From 2012 to 2013, he was a visiting professor at St Anne's College, Oxford, where he taught about European literature.

Awards and Special Honors

Don Paterson has received many honors for his contributions to literature and the arts.

• In 2008, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This is a special award given by the British monarch for important achievements.
• In 2009, he was awarded the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry. This is one of the highest honors for poets in the United Kingdom.
• In 2015, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. This is a group of experts in Scotland who are recognized for their achievements in science, arts, and public service.