Angular Desire

'The imagistic lightness and sparseness of Rayaprol's writing is present throughout the book. Elsewhere there's a neo-Victorian sentimentality that, as Ravinthiran's excellent introduction points out, is a function of a colonial discourse and the inescapability of the English poet for Indian writers.' Sandeep Parmar, PBS Spring 2020 Bulletin
'Rayaprol shapes the voices and traditions in his head into a new nest of words - smooth, nourishing, timelessly spring-like.' Carol Rumens, 'Godhuli Time' Poem of the Week in The Guardian
'The selection is both a literary gift and an archival treasure, illuminating the work of a poet who was in many ways out of synch with his time... it is a poetry of glimpses and gestures, accompanied by moments of utter intensity that the reader will cherish.' Emma Bird, The Poetry Review
'Angular Desire is a landmark anthology of modern Indian poetry... Rayaprol's poetry borrows, with a bee-like instinct, from various traditions, some homegrown, others imported... It is mobilised by Rayaprol's disquiet to find a language to represent all the possibilities of his present moment' Mantra Mukim, Review 31
'Rayaprol's lyric voice is inflected by a thorny, sensuous turn of phrase... It is useful to think of Rayaprol grappling with the materials and structures available to him to fashion an idiom of his own... There is perspective and depth in his retrospective observations, a sense of a life lived and a quiet resolution, communicated as the poet looks back on the body of work he has produced' Saba Ahmed, Poetry London