John Burnside, author of Black Cat Bone, dies aged 69

The Scottish writer, whose career spanned more than 35 years, was one of only three people to have won both of the UK’s most prestigious poetry prizes for the same book

• The books of my life: John Burnside

John Burnside, author of Black Cat Bone and The Asylum Dance, has died aged 69 after a short illness. He died on 29 May, his publisher has confirmed.

Though mainly known for his poetry, the Scottish writer wrote in many forms, including fiction and memoir, across a career that spanned more than three decades. In 2011 he won the TS Eliot prize and the Forward prize for his poetry collection Black Cat Bone, making him one of only three poets to have won both of the UK’s most prestigious poetry prizes for the same book (the others being Ted Hughes and Sean O’Brien). Last year, he won the David Cohen prize, which is given in recognition of an author’s entire body of work.