John Goodby was born in Kingstanding, Birmingham, in 1958. Since 1988 he has taught English Literature at the University of Leeds, University College Cork, and the University of Wales Swansea, where he is currently a Senior Lecturer. His research interests include Dylan Thomas and Irish Studies. In addition to writing poetry collections he is a translator with works including Heinrich Heine’s Germany: A Winter’s Tale (Smokestack Books, 2006) and his co-translation of État d Urgence / State of Emergency by Soleiman Adel Guémar (Arc, 2007), which received an English P.E.N. award. His poetry won the Arvon / Observer competition of 1989-90, the 2006 Cardiff International Poetry Competition and the Keats-Shelley Memorial Association tenth annual poetry competition in 2007.

“In A True Prize, John Goodby combines wit, virtuosity and a high-keyed but robust intelligence with biographical openness, even vulnerability, in a way that constantly confounds the reader’s expectations.

Formally more traditional than some of his previous offerings, the book has a swarming richness and a variousness of theme and approach which add up to a really satisfying and intriguing human document.
Goodby’s mastery of the verse-line is amply and consistently demonstrated thoughout this volume, his phrasing and his fusing of form, idea and perception are always sparky and startling, usually inarguable and very often electrifying.”
Lyndon Davies