Daljit Nagra

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Daljit Nagra MBE FRSL (born 1966) is a British poet known for writing about the experiences of Indians born in the United Kingdom. His debut collection, Look We Have Coming to Dover! (2007), followed a Poetry Book Society pamphlet with the same name and was published by Faber. His work often uses language inspired by Punjabi-speaking immigrants, a style sometimes called "Punglish."

Nagra was the first poet in residence at the BBC and later served as chair of the council of the Royal Society of Literature. He is a professor of creative writing at Brunel University London.

Background and education
- Born in Yiewsley, near London’s Heathrow Airport, to Sikh Punjabi parents who moved to Britain in the late 1950s.
- Grew up in Yiewsley and moved to Sheffield in 1982.
- Studied English at Royal Holloway, University of London (BA and MA beginning in 1988).
- Began writing and took part in workshops, with mentors including Stephen Knight from 2002.
- Won the Smith/Doorstop Books Pamphlet Competition in 2003, leading to the publication of Oh My Rub!, the Poetry Book Society’s first Pamphlet Choice.

Key works and achievements
- 2004: Won the Forward Prize for Best Single Poem for "Look We Have Coming to Dover!"
- 2007: Look We Have Coming to Dover! published as a full collection; received strong praise and media attention. Won the Forward Poetry Prize for Best First Collection and the South Bank Show Decibel Award.
- 2012: Tippoo Sultan's Incredible White-Man-Eating Tiger Toy-Machine!!! explored linguistic identity.
- 2013: Published a creative translation of the Ramayana.
- 2017: Published British Museum, noted for a more political edge.
- 2015: Became the first poet in residence for BBC Radio 4.
- 2024: Began hosting Poetry Extra on BBC Radio 4 Extra, revisiting distinguished poetry programs.

Influence and reception
- His poem Look We Have Coming to Dover is studied in schools (Edexcel Poem of the Decade). Singh Song! was added to the AQA GCSE poetry list in 2020.
- In 2023 he wrote a spoken-word piece performed by James Nesbitt at the Coronation Concert for Charles III and Camilla.
- His work has appeared in major magazines including The New Yorker, The Atlantic, London Review of Books, The Times Literary Supplement, and more.

Roles and honors
- Has served on boards for the Poetry Book Society and the Poetry Archive.
- Judged several major poetry prizes, including the Samuel Johnson Prize (2008), Guardian First Book Award (2008), Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award (2008), National Poetry Competition (2009), and the Manchester Poetry Prize (2010); he was also involved with the Costa Book Awards in 2012.
- Keats House Poet-In-Residence (2014–2015) and Eton College Wisdom Scholar (2014).
- 2017: Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature; 2020: appointed chair of the RSL.
- 2022: Awarded MBE for services to literature.
- 2025: It was announced he would leave the RSL position at the end of his four-year term.

Personal life
- He first married after university and had a daughter. He later married Katherine, and they have two daughters. The family lived in Dollis Hill, northwest London, before moving to Harrow in the 2010s.