Masqueraders: Selected Essays

Poet Anthony V. Capildeo's non-fiction début treats us to a selection from over a dozen years of scintillating essays, letters and columns. First appearing in the leading poetry journal PN Review, these pieces capture instants in time, in places ranging from Peru to the deep north. Adding up to an art of reading, they also expose the knotted side of the tapestry of a writing life. Capildeo takes on the big questions, but humour and the carnivalesque always return.

Capildeo’s writings – which begin by taking us into the Christmastime bustle of an independent bookshop – land fleet and sure, even arriving from mid-travel, sick rooms, festivals or protests. This book will take you stargazing, invite you onto the road with stilt walkers, pause on questions of touch and mourning, and delight in conversing with writers new and old.