Poet Reid surprise winner of Britain's Costa book of year

Poet Christopher Reid was Tuesday announced as the surprise winner of a major British literary prize for a collection in memory of his late wife, hailed by judges as a "master work".

The Hong Kong-born poet's collection "A Scattering" beat the frontrunner, Irish author Colm Toibin, to pick up the prestigious 30,000-pound (34,400-euro, 48,400-dollar) Costa Book of the Year award.

It will come as a shock to the literary world and a blow to Toibin, who had been firm favourite to scoop the prize for his novel "Brooklyn".

Sixty-year-old Reid took inspiration for his collection of poems from the death of his wife, actress Lucinda Gane, from cancer in 2005.

"I'm delighted and bewildered to be the recipient of this important literary prize," he said after winning the award at a London ceremony.

"The book itself was difficult to write but it's had a very happy time since it fell into the hands of my publisher... and has been on a number of shortlists for prizes."

Irish novelist Josephine Hart, who chaired the judging panel, hailed his collection a "master work" as she announced it had won.

"We feel that what Christopher Reid did was to take a personal tragedy and to make the emotion and the situation universal," she said.

"We regard this work as austere and beautiful and moving."

The work is comprised of four poetic sequences, with the first written during his wife's final illness and the remaining three at intervals following her death.

Reid, who has held the post of professor of creative writing at Britain's University of Hull, was nominated for two Costa awards previously and this was his third time on the shortlist.

But his triumph may mark a bitter disappointment for Toibin with bookmaker William Hill having made his work its 6/4 favourite. They placed "A Scattering" at 5/2.

The Irish writer's sixth novel "Brooklyn" is the story of a young Irish girl who travels to the United States in the 1950s to find work before tragic news summons her home.

The Costa Book of the Year award is selected from five previously announced winners of individual categories, which are novel, biography, poetry, first novel and children's .

The Costa Book Awards, formerly the Whitbread Book Award, was established in 1971 to celebrate contemporary British and Irish writing. A panel of writers, actors and broadcasters choose the most enjoyable books from the past year.