Scottish poet and novelist John Burnside has passed away at the age of 69. His publisher, Jonathan Cape, announced the news on 31 May 2024, confirming that Burnside died on 29 May following a brief illness.
Born in 1955 in Dunfermline, Scotland, Burnside was an influential literary figure known for his poetry, fiction, and memoirs. His work earned him numerous accolades, including the TS Eliot Prize, the Forward Poetry Prize, and the Whitbread Poetry Award. Burnside was one of only three authors to have won both the TS Eliot and Forward prizes for the same book, his 2011 collection "Black Cat Bone."
Burnside's literary career began with the publication of his first poetry collection, "The Hoop," in 1988. He received the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize for "Feast Days" (1992) and the Saltire Book of the Year for "A Lie About My Father" (2006).
Burnside worked as a writer-in-residence at the University of Dundee before becoming a professor at the University of St Andrews, specializing in creative writing, ecology, and American poetry. He is survived by his wife Sarah, sons Lucas and Gil, and grandson Apollo.