The Rivered Earth contains four libretti written by Vikram Seth to be set to music by Alec Roth - together with an account of the pleasures and pains of working with a composer. Entitled 'Songs in Time of War', 'Shared Ground', 'The Traveller' and 'Seven Elements', they take us all over the world - from Chinese and Indian poetry to the beauty and quietness of the Salisbury house where the poet George Herbert lived and died. Spanning centuries of creativity and humanity, these poems pulse with life, energy and inspired brilliance. They are accompanied by four pieces of calligraphy by the author. Praise for Vikram Seth: 'Such writing reminds us that there are secrets beyond technique, beyond style, which have to do with a quality of soul on the part of the writer, a giving of oneself' Guardian 'A phenomenon, a prodigy, a marvel . . . It is hard to believe that Seth is only one man' Evening Standard Equally gifted as a poet, essayist, memoirist, travel writer and novelist, Vikram Seth is perhaps best-known for the phenomenal A Suitable Boy, one of the best-loved, most widely-read and indeed longest novels of recent times. He is currently working on a sequel to the novel, entitled A Suitable Girl, to be published by Hamish Hamilton in 2013.