“Arji
Manuelpillai hits the ground running with this debut and I freaking love it.
His poems are funny, irreverent, hugely affecting. He’s fidgety, darts moment
to moment – you’ll rush after him, then suddenly find he’s stopped, spun on his
heel and you’re face-to-face with his good-natured grin. Manuelpillai will dial
up the volume just to whisper something damn beautiful beneath its surface.
Every page of Mutton Rolls is tasty, and announces by increment a highly
enjoyable new voice.” — Wayne Holloway-Smith
“The
poems in this brilliant, playful debut are multifarious though gratifyingly
interlinked, addressing the subjects of Sri-Lankan British identity,
masculinity, friendship, grief and love. The tone is sometimes satirical, but
there is no hiding behind satire in Arji Manuelpillai’s work – great tenderness
and beauty characterise these poems, and the poet’s voice is completely
original, entirely his own.” — Hannah Lowe