Saqi Books

WINNER OF THE T. S. ELIOT PRIZE 2021

WINNER OF THE POLARI BOOK PRIZE 2022

The female body is a political space.

C+nto enters the private lives of women from the butch counterculture, telling the inside story of the protests they led in the ‘90s to reclaim their bodies as their own – their difficult balance between survival and self-expression. History, magic, rebellion, party and sermon vibrate through Joelle Taylor’s cantos to uncover these underground communities forged by women.

Part-memoir and part-conjecture, Taylor explores sexuality and gender in poetry that is lyrical, expansive, imagistic, epic and intimate. C+nto is a love poem, a riot, a late night, and an honouring.

Geoff Nicholson has been walking his whole life. Part urban explorer, part psychogeographer, rambler and flaneur, wherever he is and wherever he goes in the world, he walks and writes about what he sees and feels. Here he reflects on the nature of walking, why we do it, how it benefits us and, in some cases, how it damages and even destroys us. Deeply touching reflections on the nature of walking and mortality Author has written and published extensively and accessibly about walking (The Lost Art of Walking, Riverhead) Includes vivid vignettes of walking in Los Angeles and Death Valley. Fans of Will Self, Iain Sinclair, Travis Elborough, JG Ballard will love this book.

A radical exploration of the power and public (mis)representation of women’s bodies, from ancient mysteries to the present day.

Wild and strange stories have been told about the female body since antiquity. While legends of poisoned hymens and fanged vaginas circulated, the first creation figure, Mother Earth, fell out of popular cultural history and Christianity introduced the birth of woman, Eve, from a crooked rib. Ranging from the empowering to the absurd, ancient tales about the female figure and gendered body parts have not only survived the twenty-first century but continue to influence modern discourse.

The Shrinking Goddess brings together these myths about the female form and traces subsequent male efforts to ‘tame’ it. Mineke Schipper examines how women’s bodies have been represented since records began – the first Venus and vulva figures date to 40,000 BCE – and around the world, from the so-called island of menstruating men in Papua New Guinea to the Japanese supermarkets and European festivals where ‘breast puddings’ are still considered delicacies. Drawing together the vast reservoir of myths, proverbs, art, science and scripture that shape how women are seen in the present day, Schipper reclaims the female body as a source of power.

The Shrinking Goddess  will appeal to readers of Mary Beard, Angela Davis, Betty Friedan, Germaine Greer, Audre Lorde and Marina Warner

The history of an Indian royal family’s fall from power in the age of the British Empire.

The Nawab Nazim was born into one of India’s most powerful royal families, whose kingdom was three times the size of Great Britain. However, seen as a threat by the British authorities, he was forced to abdicate in 1880, his titles permanently abolished. The Nawab’s change in fortune marked the end of an era in India.

The Last Prince of Bengal tells the true story of the Nawab and his family as they sought by turns to befriend, settle in and eventually escape Britain. From glamourous receptions with Queen Victoria to a scandalous marriage with an English chambermaid; and from Bengal tiger hunts to sheep farming in the harsh Australian outback, Lyn Innes recounts her ancestors’ extraordinary journey from royalty to relative anonymity.

Visiting the extremes of British rule in the age of empire, this is the compelling and intimate story of one family and their place in the defining moments of recent Indian, British and Australian history.

Smashing It celebrates the achievements of working-class artists in Britain, from the global takeover of Grime musicians to the literary powerhouses pushing representative narratives, also showcasing their works. Offering guidance and inspiration, leading musicians, playwrights, visual artists, filmmakers and writers share how they overcame obstacles, from the financial to the philosophical, to make it in the arts.

An essential read, Smashing It will empower those who will be a part of tomorrow’s bigger picture.

Includes a guide on how to make it in the arts, and contributions from Riz Ahmed, Kerry Hudson, DJ Target, Bridget Minamore, Anthony Anaxagorou, Bryony Kimmings and many more…