The Argentinean writer Borges once observed that the 'imminence of a revelation which does not occur is, perhaps, the aesthetic phenomenon.' Terrace is a book about the meanings of perfume, light and colour, exploring the world in a series of striking images, and juxtaposing them in unexpected ways to reveal at the end the 'bigger picture' that was always there, only hidden. Richard Skinner is the author of three novels published by Faber - The Red Dancer (translated into seven languages), The Velvet Gentleman (shortlisted for the Prix Livres & Musiques) and The Mirror . His poems have been shortlisted for the Charles Causley Competition, longlisted for the National Poetry Competition and appeared in numerous publications including And Other Poems , The Interpreter's House and Magma .