Book Review: Last Evening Was A River by Aneek Chatterjee

Sutanuka Ghosh Roy reviews Aneek Chatterjee’s latest poetry collection Last Evening was a River (Penprints, 2024), observing how this slim volume of free verse is long enough to offer the readers a taste of the poet’s brilliance.

ISBN: 978-81-974036-1-3
Price: 300 INR
Pages: 100

Aneek Chatterjee is an academic and a poet based in Kolkata. Last Evening Was A River is his fifth poetry collection. The present volume consists of eighty-six poems, mostly written in free verse. In the introduction, the poet explains, “Poems in this volume do not belong to any particular theme or genre”. Last Evening Was A River is an intriguing collection of poetry that sets out to train a critical eye on life and times (the COVID-19 days). The poems present slices of contemporary urban existence, peeling the gloss off things to expose the darkness within, “If you visit me, you’re welcome/ to relay love signals from white flowers./ But please tell them to be able/ to penetrate your smile, and my/ unbearable silence” (“If you visit me”), be it the mind-numbing culture of enslavement of power, “When edifices, tall, medium or short/ are razed to the ground, a sense of/ eerie equality brings uncontrolled/ joy, satisfaction./ And the leader takes pride in crushing all/ sensibilities and unwanted eyes” (“Saplings”), or the ringing hollowness of mundane life. Straight lines are flat and boring./ They lie along, as if in deep and smooth/ slumber all the time,/ like indifferent runways. As if, without any dreams” (“Confusions”).

The poet is in love with the city, but it flounders in the bog of unrequited hopelessness “The famed city remains stoic” (“Home”), “Love of city folks for green had no fault. / By the time green reached our doorsteps, / it became red, — due to unashamed Pollution” (“City Folks”). “The city looks like pebbles/ strewn around, haphazard,/ from here,—bird’s eye./ There’s no grass, no river,/ no books to sail on,/ no mind”.(“The City”). These poems create a rich cosmopolitan tapestry which the more discerning readers will find affinity with. The poet displays commendable poetic skill in giving the volume a cohesive structure, which must have been challenging as the text is essentially a series of discrete snapshots of life. Time dominates life, which firmly entrenches the unfolding action in the immediate present, and is also the glue that holds the episodes of life together. The poet rationales, “But let me stay afloat../ Let me stay afloat for/ sometime, /Sometimes, ephemeral/ moments are precious../ Soon to be lost in pensive/ surrealism.” The other element that binds the volume into a tight-knit unity is the mindscape of the poet, “Poems are homeless fugitives unless sheltered by you”. K. Satchidanandan endorses “his poems are certain to find shelter in all sensitive hearts as they reveal what can perhaps be called a ‘counter-imagination’ as most of the poet’s lines spring from negative thoughts and appear like arguments with oneself”.

The titular poem “Last Evening Was a River” is metaphorical and adds to the concept of the circularity of time. Time flows like a river, and one cannot touch the water twice because the flow that has passed will never pass again. The immediate present becomes the immediate past. The last evening flows like a river, and it has a soul. The poet reflects, “Last evening I snatched from the horizon/ and gifted to the river. / In ecstasy, it jumped to a palette, / mired in the colours of mind”. The poem, as well as the collection, captures the spirit of exploration and discovery of the vignettes of life—the negative thoughts are fused seamlessly with rainbow hopes to create a melody of seeming contradiction. “And after my departure, I’ll ask all/ roads to unveil memories/ I treasured, / to a fresh pilgrim, eager to/ ride the roads of wealth” (“To a Fresh Pilgrim”). “His formations justify the statement. Chatterjee’s poems are an amalgam of playfulness and profundity”, writes Sanjeev Sethi in the blurb to the book. This slim volume of free verse is long enough to offer the readers a taste of the poet’s brilliance.

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Reviewer’s Bio

Sutanuka Ghosh Roy is an Associate Professor of English at Tarakeswar Degree College, The University of Burdwan.

About the Book

Last Evening Was a River by Aneek Chatterjee is a captivating poetry collection that showcases the author’s mastery in free verse. This anthology, Chatterjee’s fifth, includes eighty-six poems written between 2020 and 2022. Each piece reflects diverse themes and emotions, offering readers a rich tapestry of poetic expression. Chatterjee’s poems are known for their depth and evocative imagery, skillfully capturing the nuances of human experience and the beauty of everyday moments. The poems, many of which have been featured in prestigious literary magazines and anthologies worldwide, have been refined for this volume, ensuring a fresh and engaging reading experience. With endorsements from renowned poets like K. Satchidanandan and Sanjeev Sethi, and published by Penprints, this collection promises to be a delightful addition to any poetry lover’s library. Dive into Last Evening Was a River and let Chatterjee’s words take you on a journey through a river of emotions and reflections.