| prawin |
Posted
on 29-Apr-03 09:16 PM
what do you really think of it?
Post 2000, the only names thrown around are Samrat Upadhya [2 books] and Manjushree Thapa. They were both educated in the US [and in Creative Writing, at that], and published primarily* in the West. [Tutor of History, and Guru of Love. . . interesting coincidence!]
Is it possible for Nepali literature in English to be uniquely Nepali in its flavor? Personally, I felt Upadhyay was shying from details that would make his narratives 'Nepali' as Nepali people would like it, while Thapa bogged down her narrative with the specific. Nevertheless, they were both difficult novels to write [of course, I wouldn't call them significant achievements in literature, as I am sure, even the authors themselves would choose not to].
Those who have read their works-- how feasible is it to write Anglophone fiction solely for the Nepali market? Yould you like to see Anglophone Fiction comparable to the calibre and quality of Yudhir Thapa [who is, undoubtedly, the claims to his mediocrity notwithstanding, the most well read author in Nepali, perhaps second only to Devkota in his outreach] in the Nepali market? Would that be a positive thing to have the newspaper vendors in Ratnapark sell Anglophone Nepali literature alongside Nepali novels?
The group of people who can really afford to spend money on recreational reading [as all fiction must start as] spends most of its money on non-Nepali reading material-- be it the cine-magazines from India, Anglophone publications in Nepal like Wave, or novels and non-fiction from the West. Wouldn't it be fantastic to have them spend money on stuff written in Nepal, by Nepali authors of various age groups, but in English? I believe this would even strengthen the Nepali literature scene by injecting a healthy dose of competition and vitality to the literature scene in general.
Please comment freely.
M. P., please don't make fun of me here. Not too many people know me here, and I'd like to keep it that way.
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