By Sara Hailstone
A Leaf Upon a Book is Anam Tariq’s debut poetry collection that gracefully shows a Bildungsroman contemplation of life crafted with a compelling command of language and skill. Influenced by William Wordsworth, John Keats, Robert Browning, Matthew Arnold, and T.S. Eliot, Tariq reveals the potential of contributing her voice to the Romantic literary style.
Tariq completed her M.A. in English at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Aligarh, India. She has also had poetry appear in various publications and anthologies.
The lasting impression for me with this book of poetry is the observation and appreciation of the growth of the writer in navigating the English language throughout the body of work. Tariq has ordered the set of poems chronologically, reflecting her evolution as an ESL speaker, which results in an eloquent and surprising encounter with English and literature in a creative way for me as a fellow writer. The diction, word choice, and ordering of words within the poems is refreshing and prompted me to see my mother tongue in new ways. This confrontation with life learning and the English language not typically used in colloquial or mainstream speaking captures the essence and potential of Tariq in her growth as a writer.
I am intrigued to come across future works by the author that pull through an overarching narrative and story throughout the body of poems, like Dionne Brand’s Thirsty.
Thank you to Tariq for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review!