Jason Allen-Paisant Wins TS Eliot Prize for 'Self-Portrait as Othello'

The Jamaican poet's collection, exploring black masculinity and immigrant identity, earns high praise for its 'nerve, style and integrity'.

Jamaican poet Jason Allen-Paisant has won the prestigious TS Eliot Prize for his book Self-Portrait as Othello.
The collection explores a black male immigrant's search for an identity and masculine role model, using Shakespeare's Othello as a reference.
Allen-Paisant, who teaches critical theory and creative writing at the University of Manchester, was awarded the £25,000 prize at a ceremony in London.
The poet's work has been praised for its 'nerve, style and integrity', with judges confident that readers will return to the book for many years.
Self-Portrait as Othello is Allen-Paisant's second collection, following his 2021 offering Thinking With Trees.