Book Title: The Yellow Metaphor: Poems from Assam
Author: Jiban Narah
Translator: Anindita Kar
Publisher: Penguin Eight
Number of Pages: 232
ISBN: 0143471678
Date Published: Feb. 16, 2026
Price: INR 298 / $18
Book Review
“The Yellow Metaphor: Poems from Assam” is a powerful collection spanning over three decades of poetry by Jiban Narah, translated by Anindita Kar. Deeply rooted in Mising tribal culture and Assamese traditions, the poems revolve around the Brahmaputra River, displacement, memory, nature, and subtle political undertones. Known for its lyrical and metaphor-rich style, the collection captures both regional specificity and universal human emotions. Narah, born in 1970 in Bokakhat, emerged in the early 1990s as a significant voice in Assamese poetry.
Growing up in a bicultural and bilingual environment, he absorbed rich folk traditions that shaped his imagery and poetic sensibility. Despite limited formal education, he developed a diverse literary career across poetry, novels, essays, and non-fiction, reflecting societal transitions and intimate human experiences. His symbolic use of colour—especially yellow—has become central to his poetic identity, earning him the Yapanchitra National Poetry Award in 2023.
The translation preserves the sensory depth and cultural nuances of the original work, retaining indigenous terms and the layered meanings of the “yellow metaphor,” which suggests ripeness, vitality, decay, and devastation. Narah’s poems explore landscapes of love, loss, memory, and change, blending intimate domestic portrayals with philosophical reflections. Rivers, seasons, music, and rural imagery become metaphors for time, mortality, and resilience. Spiritual references to figures such as Krishna, Shiva, and Buddha coexist with the everyday lives of villagers, weaving existential inquiry into daily experience.
Recurring motifs of ancestry, identity, and impermanence highlight both suffering and endurance. Through vivid imagery and emotional depth, Narah bridges Assamese regional culture with universal concerns, presenting poetry that honours tribal life while speaking to broader themes of humanity, continuity, and the fragile beauty of existence.
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