Meet Me in Mozambique - Tapa blanda

Markham uses words with quicksilver fluency: the writing, playful and skilful, lends the intricate stories a dazzling sparkle * Metro * Markham is a West Indian poet, academic and traveller with an interesting personal history which he has mythologised, satirised and transferred to Pewter Stapleton ... the protagonist of most of the stories in this new collection of sly, evasive narratives * Independent on Sunday * These stories nourish and feed off one another to such an extent that they read like a kaleidoscopic novel that tells, in various voices and from different viewpoints, the lives of Pewter Stapleton and his family and friends ... This is a very funny and sometimes moving book, its deadpan wit embedded in almost every line -- William Palmer * Independent * In defying the rules, Markham has a wonderfully original, eccentric charm * Guardian * E.A. Markham moves freely between unserious topical references and the serious comedy of metafiction. Whichever it is, it is always beautifully written and, in the end, oriented towards the unknown, the lure of what lies beyond * TLS *

With accomplished flair, these interlinked stories dance around Caribbean culture, air travel to Europe, teenage study in west London, idealism and independence in Africa, and academic rivalry in Sheffield. Meet Me in Mozambique will introduce Markham's wise storytelling voice to many new readers. He is always entertaining - quick jokes and graceful word-plays enhance his tough-minded and astute interpretations.