Iain Sinclair has carved out a particular niche for himself as the chronicler of a very particular kind of Britain. The peripheral and the everyday excite him as much as the layers of history that exist just below the surface which he eagerly unpeels. In Hackney, That Rose-Red Empire he turns his gaze on the borough he has called home since 1968 and in his trademark skittering, stop/start style delves headlong into the history and myth that exist under every stone of this remarkable corner of London.

With the shadow of the 2012 Olympics creeping over every page the timing of this book could not be more pertinent. Sinclair has been accused of following a wilfully obscure path, his prose style can be difficult to digest with its sudden about turns and dead ends, but it is worth persisting, for the moments of clarity and truth are startling. A wonderful, necessary book from a truly original voice.

Review by Julian Mash

£20
ISBN: 9780241142165
Publisher: Hamish Hamilton

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