3 Review(s)

Antim Aranya is the last novel of Nirmal Verma which was published in the year 2000 at the juncture of two centuries. This novel, which appeared like an event in the Hindi society, remained a topic of discussion for a long time. Some critics called it the narrative of death, but it is not exactly that, a deep feeling of mortality is definitely at the center of this novel. Its characters, who have stopped at a specific turning point in life, have in a way set out on a journey within themselves and thus, while exploring the will to live and the inevitability of death, encounter the life that has already been lived, but is still alive in the form of memories. The entire novel appears in the form of the narrator's diary in which he takes notes while talking to Mehra Saheb. He himself is also searching for answers to some of his questions. In this way, while moving in the past, present and future, a synthetic story is formed which reaches a spiritual and pure height by the end. Mountains and mountain life are present in this novel as a complete character which deepens its discussion, gives a uniqueness to the story and creates a geography of images, symbols and pictures which provide a huge background to the deep questions related to existence. Antim Aranya is the last novel of Nirmal Verma which was published in the year 2000 at the juncture of two centuries. This novel which appeared like an event in the Hindi society remained a topic of discussion for a long time. Some critics called it the narrative of death, but it is not exactly that, a deep feeling of mortality is definitely at the center of this novel. Its characters, who have stopped at a specific turning point in life, have set out on a journey within themselves and thus, while exploring the will to live and the inevitability of death, they encounter the life which has already been lived, but is still alive in the form of memories. The entire novel appears in the form of the narrator's diary in which he takes notes while talking to Mehra Saheb. He himself is also searching for answers to some of his questions. Moving between the past, present and future, a synthetic story is created which reaches a spiritual and pure height by the end. The mountain and the life of the mountain are present in this novel like a complete character which deepens its discussion, gives a uniqueness to the story and creates a geography of images, symbols and pictures which provide a huge background to the deep questions related to existence.