"A book with large ambitions that are met with great imaginative capacity, freshness, and technical flair. As the title would suggest, the poetry is delivered with theatricality and in a range of voices and registers, across geographies and eras. It takes real nerve to pull off a work like this with such style and integrity. We are confident that [it] is a book to which readers will return for many years." --Paul Muldoon, chair of the T. S. Eliot Prize "This indispensable collection explores Shakespeare's pernicious archetype, observing how 'the Moor remains invisible, despite the obsession with his body.' Yet Allen-Paisant makes the historical impasse an occasion for deep, generous interrogation of masculinity, and a linked elevation of the maternal that is at the heart of so many Caribbean and other families.

Enriched by historical research, Self-Portrait as Othello celebrates representation, understanding, and speech as acts of glorious resistance." --Fiona Sampson, The Guardian "Jason Allen-Paisant's Self-Portrait as Othello whisks its readers along like a confident lead (there is much dancing-related imagery to enjoy throughout), offering rich descriptions, lingual agility, and poignant social criticism along the way." --Aaron Barry, World Literature Today "Allen-Paisant's achievement is not in simply modernising Shakespeare's narrative; it is his addition of ambiguity, interiority, texture, and flesh that imbues the collection with an intellectual and emotional energy . Allen-Paisant has crafted a memorable collection with great emotional and intellectual span, while maintaining a linguistic playfulness that enriches its reading." --Eric Yip, Poetry London.