Toronto poet accepts Griffin prize

TORONTO — Toronto’s Ken Babstock wiped away tears Thursday night as he accepted the $ 65,000 Griffin poetry prize, widely considered the world’s richest award of its kind.

He thanked his wife, Laura, and four- year- old son, Samuel, while ruefully expressing a wish that the boy not follow in his father’s footsteps.

“I hope you will read and love poetry. I hope you never write it. Get a real job,” said Babstock, 42, admitting that his career choice has been a tough slog at times.

The Newfoundland- born, Ottawa Valley- raised wordsmith also saluted the Griffin jurors, who read 481 books of poetry from 37 countries, including 19 translations.

“I thank you for all that madness and hard work,” said Babstock, who won for his collection Methodist Hatchet.

Britain’s David Harsent, meanwhile, took home the international Griffin prize, also worth $ 65,000, for Night.

This is the 12th year for the lucrative award, created by businessman Scott Griffin along with trustees including Margaret Atwood and Michael Ondaatje.

Thursday’s gala also featured some star power from Nobel Prize- winning Irish poet Seamus Heaney, who received the Griffin’s lifetime achievement award Wednesday night and had high praise for the prize and its founder.

“He has his own personal commitment and passion to poetry and I just think that’s worth saluting,” Heaney, 73, said of Scott Griffin. Heaney said the Griffin prize helps readers “pay attention to what is there.”