Daljit Nagra

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Daljit Nagra

Forward Poetry Prize
Website
www.daljitnagra.com

Daljit Nagra

Sikhs), and often employ language that imitates the English spoken by Indian immigrants whose first language is Punjabi, which some have termed "Punglish".[2] He currently[when?] works part-time at JFS School in Kenton, London,[citation needed] and visits schools, universities and festivals where he performs his work. He was appointed chair of the Royal Society of Literature in November 2020. He is a professor of creative writing at Brunel University London.[3]

Early life and education

Daljit Nagra, whose

Sikh Punjabi parents came to Britain from India in the late 1950s, was born and grew up in Yiewsley, near London's Heathrow Airport. The family moved to Sheffield in 1982.[4] In 1988, Nagra went to study for a BA and MA in English at Royal Holloway, University of London.[4] Tentatively beginning to write, he later attended poetry workshops, courses and tutorials, receiving feedback from poets including Pascale Petit, Moniza Alvi, John Stammers, Carol Ann Duffy and Jackie Kay, and from 2002, being mentored by Stephen Knights.[4]

Poetry career

In 2003, Nagra won the Smith/Doorstop Books Pamphlet Competition, leading to the subsequent publication of his Oh MY Rub!, which was the

Costa Poetry Award, the Guardian First Book Award, the Aldeburgh Prize and the Glen Dimplex Award.[citation needed
]

His poem, 'Look We are Coming to Dover' (2007), is now used in the Edexel 'Poem's of the Decade' A-Level Qualification.

His second collection, Tippoo Sultan's Incredible White-Man Eating Tiger-Toy Machine!!! (2012), was shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize.[citation needed] Nagra's 2013 book, Ramayana, was also shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize.[citation needed] In 2014, he won the Society of Authors Travelling Scholarship Award.[8]

His poems have been published in the

and The North.

He has performed at venues located in places such as Banff, Calgary, Toronto, Bratislava, Galle, Mumbai, Delhi, Orkney, Belfast, Dublin, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Heidelberg, St Andrews, Edinburgh, Ty Newydd and many places in England.[citation needed]

Nagra has been on the Board of the

Costa Book Award poetry category and overall winner in 2012. He has also hosted the T. S. Eliot Poetry Readings 2009. He was the Keats House
Poet-In-Residence from July 2014 to June 2015, and he was an Eton College Wisdom Scholar in November 2014.

Nagra has acted as the Lead Poetry Tutor at the

In 2017, he was elected a

His poem "Singh Song!" was added to the

GCSE love and relationships poetry specification.[17]

Nagra was appointed chair of the Royal Society of Literature in November 2020,[18] taking over from Lisa Appignanesi, who had held the position since 2016.[19]

Nagra was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to literature.[20]

In 2023, Nagra wrote a spoken-word piece that was performed by actor James Nesbitt at the Coronation Concert, to mark the coronation of Charles III and Camilla.[21]

Personal life

Nagra married a woman he met at university, not long after they graduated.[22] The marriage produced a daughter, but the couple divorced, at Nagra's behest. Subsequently, Nagra met and married his current wife Katherine, with whom he has two daughters, Maia and Hannah.[23] During the 2000s, they lived in Dollis Hill, north-west London, before moving to Harrow in the 2010s.[24]

Bibliography

  • Oh MY Rub! – Smith/Doorstop, 2003.
  • Look We Have Coming to Dover! – Faber & Faber, 2007.
  • Tippoo Sultan's Incredible White-Man-Eating Tiger Toy-Machine!!! – Faber & Faber, 2012.
  • Ramayana – Faber & Faber, 2013. (paperback).
  • "British Museum" – Faber & Faber, 2017. (hardback)

Interviews

References

  1. ^ "Daljit Nagra" Archived 25 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Poetry International Rotterdam.
  2. ^ "Do you speak Punglish?", BBC, 29 September 2005. Retrieved 26 August 2007.
  3. ^ Buchanunn, Joe (7 May 2023). "We're Lighting Up The Nation: Professor's poem wins the castle crowd's hearts". Brunel University London. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d "Biography", Daljit Nagra website.
  5. ^ Literature: Daljit Nagra 'Look We Have Coming to Dover!', Newsnight Review, 19 January 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2007.
  6. ^ Ezard, John (24 August 2007). "Guardian award highlights good year for first-time writers". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 August 2007.
  7. ^ "South Bank Show Awards 2008". WestendTheatre.com. 1 January 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  8. ^ Farrington, Joshua (30 June 2014). "Filer and McBride among SoA award winners". The Bookseller. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  9. ^ Nagra, Daljit (25 July 2011). "A Black History of the English Speaking Peoples (poem)". The New Yorker. pp. 52–53.
  10. ^ Higgins, Charlotte (16 July 2008). "The Suspicions of Mr Whicher wins Samuel Johnson prize". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 July 2008.
  11. ^ "Competition judges". Manchester Poetry Prize. Manchester Metropolitan University. Archived from the original on 31 March 2010. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  12. ^ Blumsom, Amy (8 October 2015). "Daljit Nagra becomes first poet in residence for Radio 4". The Telegraph.
  13. ^ "Alice Oswald announced as BBC Radio 4's new Poet-in-Residence". BBC Media Centre. 22 September 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  14. ^ "Daljit Nagra" at British Council, Literature.
  15. ^ Onwuemezi, Natasha (7 June 2017). "Rankin, McDermid and Levy named new RSL fellows". The Bookseller.
  16. ^ "Current RSL Fellows". Royal Society of Literature. Archived from the original on 5 March 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  17. ^ "English Literature Paper 2 Section B: AQA Love and Relationships Poems" Archived 24 February 2020 at the Wayback Machine, via Drapers' Academy.
  18. ^ Flood, Alison (30 November 2020). "Royal Society of Literature reveals historic changes to improve diversity". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  19. ^ "Press Release: Royal Society of Literature Celebrates 200th Birthday with 60 Appointments and Five-year Festival" (PDF). The Royal Society of Literature. 30 November 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  20. ^ "No. 63714". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 June 2022. p. B23.
  21. BBC Media Centre
    . 7 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  22. ^ "Singh Songs". HeraldScotland. 27 January 2007. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  23. ^ "Biography". Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  24. ^ Barkham, Patrick (18 January 2007). "The Bard of Dollis Hill". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 January 2021.

External links