Book Review — 11 Oracles by Anish Kanjilal
With a beautiful and attention-grabbing cover and illustrations inside, 11 Oracles by Anish Kanjilal is a terrific book of poetry, exceeding its scope beyond its genre. It studies the core nature of humans that advanced and progressed with passage of time, however, remained morally claustrophobic under the veil of ignorance and illusions. Through references from Greek and other mythological sources, the book builds a strong scaffold of narration.
The book says it loudly that humans have remained ignorant ever since the dawn of their civilization. We are evolving but with no moral conscience. Each step, each move ingrained in the façade of modern feat is nothing but a shift towards ruination and obliteration. The book boasts of its original wisdom, underlying message for humanity. Its poems narrate the ironies of our lives. How we live yet, at the same time, decay with our clumsy tenacity and propositions drawn deeper in our lives.
Each poem is preceded by a black and white illustration, exuding a hint as what lies ahead. Anish has put in references galore from Greek and other folklores such as the mentioning of Aladdin, Medusa, Noah’s Ark, Cinderella, and so on. Despite long poems with heavy intensity, the message comes out straight for discerning readers of poetry. Right at the beginning poems like ‘Silence’ reminds us about the finality of life through death…it is not a bed of roses unlike life, rather one could only repent and dream of joys once gone forever.
‘The Eclipse of Medusa’, ‘Slaughter House’ are inherently ironic poems, giving a deep analysis of the plight of women and animals in our societies. Concern for nature and changing landscape in the guise of growth in cities goes against the rhythm of nature — this is something that we confront in most of the poems of the collection.
The collection has enough provision to evoke any sane mind’s cogitation while providing food for thoughts. Yes, the poetic narrative is lyrical yet it has a strong vibe of philosophy in it, which explores basic yet meaningful facets of our existence groping under the illusions of fog and ignorance. Anish skillfully paints a canvas of certain life reflections, though hidden like silhouettes of light, to elicit a wide range of feelings.
Every poem is well composed and has a smooth transition from one stanza to another. The poetry reflects an experience of deep thinking and philosophy than the just words of contemporary social paintings. Through thoughtful word choice, Anish senses and understands the core of every subject he puts under the lens of exploration. All in all, along with captivating poetry, includes exquisitely drawn illustrations that enhance the narrative and provide stimulating feel of the poetry.
The book is available to buy from online stores like Amazon & Kindle.
