Rebecca Perry
Rebecca Perry | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1986 (age 39–40) |
| Education | |
| Years active | 2011–present |
Rebecca Perry (born 1986) is an English poet and novelist. She began her career writing poetry. Her debut novel May We Feed the King (2026) won the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize and was longlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize.
Early life
[edit source]Perry is from Croydon, South London.[1][2] She completed a Master of Arts (MA) in Creative Writing at the Manchester Centre for New Writing in 2008.[3]
Career
[edit source]Perry's debut poetry pamphlet Little Armoured won the 2011 Poetry Wales Purple Moose Poetry Prize. It was published via Seren Books.[4][5]
In autumn 2014, Perry joined as a co-editor of Poems in Which.[6]
Via Bloodaxe Books, Perry's debut poetry collection Beauty / Beauty was published in 2015.[7] Beauty / Beauty won the Michael Murphy Memorial Poetry Prize and was shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize, The Poetry Society's Fenton Aldeburgh First Collection Prize, and the Seamus Heaney Centre Prize for First Collection.
In spring 2016, Perry returned to the Manchester Centre for New Writing as a Poetry Fellow and one of two Writers in Residence alongside Emma Jane Unsworth.[3] Perry's next pamphlets were Cleanliness of Rooms and Walls in 2017 followed by Insect & Lilac with Amy Key and Beaches in 2019.[8]
Perry's second poetry collection Stone Fruit was published in 2021.[9] Stone Fruit was the Poetry Book Society's summer recommendation.[10] This was followed by her debut non-fiction work On Trampolining, published in 2023 via Makina Books.[11][12]
In 2025, Granta Books acquired the rights to publish Perry's debut historical novel May We Feed the King in 2026.[13] The novel consists of dual timelines following a medieval king and a modern day curator respectively.[14][15] May We Feed the King won the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize and was one of 13 novels chosen for the 2026 Booker Prize longlist.[16] Perry was named one of the 10 best debut novelists of 2026 by The Observer.[17]
Bibliography
[edit source]Novels
[edit source]- May We Feed the King (2026)
Non-fiction
[edit source]- On Trampolining (2023)
Poetry collections
[edit source]- Beauty / Beauty (2015)
- Stone Fruit (2021)
Pamphlets
[edit source]- little armoured (2011)
- cleanliness of rooms and walls (2017)
- insect & lilac (2019) with Amy Key
- Beaches (2019)
Contributions
[edit source]- in Best Friends Forever: Poems About Female Friendship (2014), edited by Amy Key
Accolades
[edit source]| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Poetry Wales | Purple Moose Poetry Prize | little armoured | Won | [4][5] |
| 2015 | Fenton Aldeburgh First Collection Prize | Beauty / Beauty | Shortlisted | [18] | |
| 2016 | T. S. Eliot Prize | Shortlisted | [19] | ||
| Seamus Heaney Centre | Prize for First Collection | Shortlisted | [20] | ||
| 2017 | Michael Murphy Memorial Poetry Prize | Won | [21] | ||
| 2026 | Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize | May We Feed the King | Won | [22] | |
| Booker Prize | Pending | ||||
References
[edit source]- ↑ Best, Crispin (1 March 2015). "Peer Review: Ornate Resignation – Crispin Best Interviews Rebecca Perry". The Quietus. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- ↑ Perry, Rebecca (2015). "The boy (2015)". Poetry by Heart. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Writers in residence". University of Manchester Centre for New Writing. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Friday Poem – 'Almost but not quite there', Rebecca Perry". Seren Books. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- 1 2 Smith, Karl (20 October 2013). "Two Poems By: Rebecca Perry". The Quietus. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- ↑ "Some new poems & readings & TC". Amy Key. October 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- ↑ Jones, Evan (30 January 2016). "Beauty/Beauty by Rebecca Perry review – curiosity, clumsiness and charm". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- ↑ "Poetry Club: A K Blakemore, Mary Jean Chan + Rebecca Perry". The Coronet Theatre. 28 October 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
- ↑ Stevens, Genevieve (November 2021). "on Rebecca Perry". PN Review. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- ↑ "Summer Recommendation: Stone Fruit by Rebecca Perry". Poetry Book Society. 21 May 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- ↑ Hewitt, Seán (12 December 2023). "Books of the Year 2023". Granta. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- ↑ Berghinz, Valeria (27 January 2026). "Rebecca Perry on Her Debut 'May We Feed the King'". Cold. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- ↑ Dempsey, Isabel (2 June 2025). "TS Eliot Prize-shortlisted poet's debut novel acquired by Granta Books". The Bookseller. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- ↑ Harrison, Melissa (23 January 2026). "May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry review – a dazzling puzzle-box of a debut". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 July 2026.}
- ↑ Read, Clemmie (2026). "Acts of resurrection". The Times Literary Supplement. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- ↑ McIntosh, Steven (28 July 2026). "Booker Prize longlist: See the 13 'dynamite' novels up for this year's prestigious award". BBC News.
- ↑ Cummins, Anthony (14 January 2024). "The best debut novelists of 2026". The Observer. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ↑ "Fenton Aldeburgh First Collection Prize – shortlist". The Poetry Society. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- ↑ Flood, Alison (2015-10-22). "TS Eliot poetry prize shortlist stretches to Jamaica and beyond". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
- ↑ "Winner Announced". The Seamus Heaney Centre. Queen's University Belfast. 30 June 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- ↑ "Rebecca Perry wins 2017 Michael Murphy Prize". Bloodaxe Books. 28 September 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- ↑ Loffhagen, Emma (16 July 2026). "Rebecca Perry wins Waterstones debut fiction prize for 'delicious and dream-like' novel". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 July 2026.