Vampire Squid (Prema Arasu, Fremantle)

Prema Arasu’s debut poetry collection, Vampire Squid, is a profound exploration of mysterious deep-sea creatures and the humans who observe them. Written over 3 years during Arasu’s time at the Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre, the collection offers a tantalising perspective from a poet in a unique position. As the only humanities-based researcher on a team of scientists, Arasu chose poetry as their preferred research method, documenting and analysing the constructed notion and unreliable nature of the deep sea. Arasu’s “characters”, identified only by their research roles, are fascinatingly dissected across 5 sections: Sunlight, Twilight, Midnight, Abyss and Hades. The collection is experimental in both style and form, ranging from confessional poetry and societal warnings to excerpts from reviewer reports and emails. Arasu excavates themes of belonging and classification, masking and identity, and the intersections between the social and scientific, from the deep sea to university life. While astutely observing the observers, Arasu does not shy away from surveying themself, as demonstrated in “Anglerfish podcast” and “I don’t want to be a giant isopod”. Vampire Squid is a pleasant mix of tentacular thinking and humour, resulting in a brilliantly raw and honest offering that journeys from the glistening surface to the depths of Arasu’s psyche. Unlike the contested scientific classification of the vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis), there is no hesitation in classifying Arasu as every bit the poet. For readers of contemporary Australian poets such as Kate Fagan (First Light) and Evelyn Araluen (The Rot).

Books+Publishing reviewer: Shannon Grey is an editor, writer and book reviewer working in the publishing industry. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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