<div><p>Poet Christopher Reid has been declared the surprise winner of the Costa Book of the Year Award for a collection in memory of his late wife, hailed by judges as a "master work".</p><p>The Hong Kong-born poet's collection "A Scattering" beat the frontrunner, Irish author Colm Toibin, to pick up the prestigious £30,000 award.</p><p>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".</p><p>Reid, 60, took inspiration for his collection of poems from the death of his wife, actress Lucinda Gane, from cancer in 2005.</p><p>"I'm delighted and bewildered to be the recipient of this important literary prize," he said after winning the award at a London ceremony.</p><p>"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."</p><p>Irish novelist Josephine Hart, who chaired the judging panel, hailed his collection a "master work" as she announced it had won.</p><p>"We feel that what Christopher Reid did was to take a personal tragedy and to make the emotion and the situation universal," she said.</p><p>"We regard this work as austere and beautiful and moving."</p><p>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.</p><p>Reid, who has held the post of professor of creative writing at Hull University, was nominated for two Costa awards previously and this was his third time on the shortlist.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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 .</p><p>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.</p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=67879405&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

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