dumbfoundry

They are the nascent standard bearers for British poetry. And among the list of the 20 Next Generation Poets named today are two writers in their twenties, who have each published only one collection of verse.

The Ted Hughes-inspired Jacob Polley and Belfast's Leontia Flynn, who describes her main theme as "angst youth crap", have been awarded an accolade which helped create unprecedented interest in the art form 10 years ago.

The list, compared to that produced by the literary magazine Granta, also includes established writers such as Robin Robertson, Tobias Hill and Sophie Hannah. Funded by the Arts Council and chosen by a distinguished panel chaired by the Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, organisers hope it will have a similar impact on the careers of those included in 1994's New Generation Poets.

Then, artists including Don Paterson, Lavinia Greenlaw and Simon Armitage were hailed for bringing a rock'n'roll chic to poetry. They were given the full celebrity treatment, even appearing in a Vogue photoshoot. All went on to achieve significant success. But this year, the Poetry Book Society (PBS) which has organised the award, is keen to play down talk of rock'n'roll. It has removed the upper age limit of 40 after several important writers narrowly missed out last time.

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