Venus as a Bear

Vahni Capildeo

Carcanet Collection  

Featured in The Guardian's Best Books of 2018

The Poetry Book Society Summer 2018 Choice

The Telegraph's Poetry Book of the Month April 2018

Shortlisted for The 2018 Forward Prize for Best Collection

Vahni Capildeo’s Venus as a Bear collects poems on animals, art, language, the sea, thinghood, metaphor, description, and dance. They tend toward, and tend to, the inanimate and non-human, tenderly disclosing their forms of sentience. We have feelings for creatures, objects and places, but where do these affinities come from? How do things, as things, affect us, remain mysterious while making themselves known?

For Capildeo answers formed at their own pace, while waiting for lambing at a friend’s farm; exploring the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford; criss-crossing the British Isles with the Out of Bounds poetry project; or hearing of Africa and the Romans in Scotland, of Guyana and Shakespeare, while standing over-the-boots deep in a freezing sea off the coast of Wales.

Many of the poems respond to real places, objects and people, as investigations, meditations, or dedications. They dwell on bodies and dwell in the body, inviting ardent, open forms of reading, in the spirit of their composition.

Subscription Features

  • Fully-searchable access to the growing archive of current and back issues.
  • Unlimited IP-authenticated access and remote access options available.
  • Cross-platform compatibility with all Web, iOS and Android devices.
  • Usage reports, MARC records and excellent customer support.

IP Access

Seamless IP-authenticated access on a range of platforms including web, iOS and Android.

Fully Searchable

Advanced search including Boolean operators and cross-title matching.

Comprehensive Support

Enjoy high quality and prompt technical support from our dedicated team.

  • Author: Vahni Capildeo
  • Publisher: Carcanet
  • ISBN: 9781784105549