Do you think reading Nepali books is not good enough? Well, there are some really good books written by our Nepali writers that you can check out:
- The Wayward Daughter
Written from a perspective of an ethnic woman in Nepal, The Wayward Daughter is sure to make you think about the hardships the immigrants to Kathmandu need to face. The author, Shradha Ghale not only describes the characters from a personal level, but she also shows how a person changes in the context of the socio-political background she is living in. It goes back into the most transitionary phase in the history of Nepal, Panchayat Period, and also shows a little bit of glimpse about the ten years Civil War initiated by the Maoists. It has originally been written in English.
2. Crossing Shadows
This is also a novel written from a woman’s perspective. Set forth after the Royal Massacre here in Nepal, it has a lot to tell about the Civil War and its after-effects. Its protagonist Maya does everything she could to make her career unlike the humble circumstances she is living in. It has been written by Shiwani Neupane in English.
3. Aswatthama
It is a lyrical poem written by our very own National Poet, Madhav Prasad Ghimire. It tells us about the journey of Aswatthama, an immortal person from the great epic, Mahabharata who talks to the poet himself at the ending of the poem, and they both embrace each other and become one in their desire to put an end to all wars. It has seven Acts altogether. Originally written in Nepali, this has been translated into English by Padma Prasad Devkota.
4. Sumnima
Sumnima by B.P. Koirala is an interesting psycho-sexual novel involving two individuals of two different castes: Somdatta, Brahmin boy, and Sumnima, a Kiranti girl. They both fall deeply in love but could not get married due to their caste differences. They are not happy even after their marriages with other people. It has been translated into English from Nepali by Dr. Tara Nath Sharma.
5. Palpasa Café
Now this novel is probably one of the most read books by all the Nepalese. Originally written in Nepali by Narayan Wagle in 2005 which won Madan Puraskar, a literary award in Nepal, it was further translated into English by Bikash Sangraula in 2008. Its major concern is upon the Maoist Insurgency, a Civil war in Nepal fought between the Communist Party of Nepal and the Government of Nepal from 1996 to 2006. The novel narrates the dreams of Drishya and his travel experience in the landscape devasted by violence and how he loses his beloved, Palpasa amid the war.
6. Radha
Just like Aswatthama, this novel by Krishna Dharabasi is retelling the epic of Mahabharata from a woman’s perspective. Dharabasi has changed the virtue of the characters Radha and Krishna of Mahabharat, making Radha, brave, dignified, and revolutionary character. This novel shows love and sex between men and women, and the war that comes to the physical world and war that comes in human psyche and also picturizes the Maoist Insurgency/The Civil War. Originally written in Nepali, this book too has won Madan Puraskar and it has been translated into English by Mahesh Basnet.
7. Jumla: A Nurse’s Story
In her autobiographical book, Jumla: A Nurse’s Story (2014) translated into English by Dev Paudel and Ishan Gurung, Radha Paudel describes her experiences of serving the people of Jumla as a nurse and how her dream of serving the underprivileged finally came true. It is also a must-read book with a lot of sentiments.
