Vahni Capildeo
Encyclopedia
Surya Vahni Priya Capildeo (born 1973) is a Trinidadian
writer, and a member of the extended Capildeo family which has produced notable Trinidad
ian politicians and writers (including V. S. Naipaul
).
Born in 1973 in Port of Spain
, she has lived in the United Kingdom
since 1991.
Capildeo read English at Christ Church, Oxford
. She was subsequently awarded a Rhodes Scholarship
to pursue graduate work in Old Norse and translation theory, also at Christ Church. She intermitted from a Research Fellowship at Girton College, Cambridge
in 2000-4 in order to spend time in Trinidad and Jamaica. This produced No Traveller Returns (Salt, 2003; http://www.saltpublishing.com), a book-length poem sequence, and One Scattered Skeleton, a non-fiction book on the palimpsestic nature of place, memory, and language which takes its title from a poem by the Guyanese poet Martin Carter
and moves between the U.K., the Caribbean, and Iceland. Extracts from One Scattered Skeleton have appeared in London: City of Disappearances (ed. Iain Sinclair
), Stand Magazine, The Arts Journal (Guyana) and The Caribbean Review of Books.
Person Animal Figure, a three-character series of dramatic monologues, was published by Jeremy Noel-Tod's Landfill Press in 2005 (http://www.landfillpress.co.uk).
The Undraining Sea (completed 2005), a third poetry collection, is forthcoming in 2009 from Nathan Hamilton's Norwich-based Eggbox Press. It is a three-section book that actively engages with William Carlos Williams's Paterson. To follow from Eggbox in 2009 or 2010 is Dark and Unaccustomed Words (completed 2008), which takes its title from George Puttenham
's sixteenth-century Arte of Poesie. This was Puttenham's critical term for arcane or foreign imports into English. The poems in Capildeo's fourth book do not overtly theorize about poetry but rather seek to demonstrate, for example, the feeling and scope of certain parts of speech (prepositions, adjectives), forms, voices, or attitudes.
Capildeo has worked for a women's helpline as a volunteer and a volunteer trainer. At present she is a Contributing Editor at the Caribbean Review of Books
(edited by Nicholas Laughlin) and a freelance researcher for the Oxford English Dictionary. She is working on a group of poems on the theme of 'Monolithicity', the start of a new book, Utter.
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
writer, and a member of the extended Capildeo family which has produced notable Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
ian politicians and writers (including V. S. Naipaul
V. S. Naipaul
Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad "V. S." Naipaul, TC is a Nobel prize-winning Indo-Trinidadian-British writer who is known for his novels focusing on the legacy of the British Empire's colonialism...
).
Born in 1973 in Port of Spain
Port of Spain
Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
, she has lived in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
since 1991.
Capildeo read English at Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
. She was subsequently awarded a Rhodes Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
to pursue graduate work in Old Norse and translation theory, also at Christ Church. She intermitted from a Research Fellowship at Girton College, Cambridge
Girton College, Cambridge
Girton College is one of the 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. It was England's first residential women's college, established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon. The full college status was only received in 1948 and marked the official admittance of women to the...
in 2000-4 in order to spend time in Trinidad and Jamaica. This produced No Traveller Returns (Salt, 2003; http://www.saltpublishing.com), a book-length poem sequence, and One Scattered Skeleton, a non-fiction book on the palimpsestic nature of place, memory, and language which takes its title from a poem by the Guyanese poet Martin Carter
Martin Carter
Martin Wylde Carter was a Guyanese poet, who has been compared in stature to W. B. Yeats and Pablo Neruda, as well as being called "the most Caribbean of Caribbean poets". Of mixed European, East Indian, and African descent, he began publishing in 1950 in Thunder Martin Wylde Carter (June 7,...
and moves between the U.K., the Caribbean, and Iceland. Extracts from One Scattered Skeleton have appeared in London: City of Disappearances (ed. Iain Sinclair
Iain Sinclair
Iain Sinclair FRSL is a British writer and filmmaker. Much of his work is rooted in London, most recently within the influences of psychogeography.-Life and work:...
), Stand Magazine, The Arts Journal (Guyana) and The Caribbean Review of Books.
Person Animal Figure, a three-character series of dramatic monologues, was published by Jeremy Noel-Tod's Landfill Press in 2005 (http://www.landfillpress.co.uk).
The Undraining Sea (completed 2005), a third poetry collection, is forthcoming in 2009 from Nathan Hamilton's Norwich-based Eggbox Press. It is a three-section book that actively engages with William Carlos Williams's Paterson. To follow from Eggbox in 2009 or 2010 is Dark and Unaccustomed Words (completed 2008), which takes its title from George Puttenham
George Puttenham
George Puttenham was a sixteenth-century English writer, literary critic, and notorious rake. He is generally considered to be the author of the enormously influential handbook on poetry and rhetoric, The Arte of English Poesie ....
's sixteenth-century Arte of Poesie. This was Puttenham's critical term for arcane or foreign imports into English. The poems in Capildeo's fourth book do not overtly theorize about poetry but rather seek to demonstrate, for example, the feeling and scope of certain parts of speech (prepositions, adjectives), forms, voices, or attitudes.
Capildeo has worked for a women's helpline as a volunteer and a volunteer trainer. At present she is a Contributing Editor at the Caribbean Review of Books
Caribbean Review of Books
The Caribbean Review of Books is a quarterly magazine published in Port of Spain, Trinidad, reviewing books of Caribbean interest—by Caribbean authors or about the Caribbean—and printing original fiction, poetry, and other literary material...
(edited by Nicholas Laughlin) and a freelance researcher for the Oxford English Dictionary. She is working on a group of poems on the theme of 'Monolithicity', the start of a new book, Utter.