Literature of Nepal

Nepalese literature (Nepali: नेपाली साहित्य) is the literature of Nepal. This is distinct from Nepali literature, which is the literature in only Nepali language (Khas kura). The major literary languages of Nepal are:

This article is about the literature of Nepal. For literature specific to the Nepali language, see Nepali literature.

English literature

Nepalis writing in English first came to prominence with Laxmi Prasad Devkota's own translations of his Nepali poems in the 1950s.[1] Devkota is believed to be the first Nepali to begin writing creatively in English.[2] Devkota also penned some essays in English which were published posthumously by his son, Dr. Padma Devkota in a book titled 'The Witch Doctor and Other Essays'.[3] After Devkota came writers like Mani Dixit, Tek Bahadur Karki, Abhi Subedi and Peter J Karthak who began writing in English from the 60s onwards. During the 70s and 80s, these pioneers were joined by writers like Kesar Lall, Greta Rana, Kesang Tseten, and DB Gurung. It was only in 2001 that Nepali writing in English received international attention with the publication of Samrat Upadhyay's Arresting God in Kathmandu. Published in the United States, the collection of short stories won the Whiting Award for Fiction.[4] Since then, a number of prominent Nepali writers writing in English have emerged, most notably Manjushree Thapa whose nonfiction book, Forget Kathmandu: An Elegy for Democracy, was nominated for the 2006 Lettre Ulysses Award.[5]

Contemporary Nepalis writing in English include Rabi Thapa (Thamel - Dark Star of Kathmandu), Richa Bhattarai (Fifteen and Three Quarters), Prawin Adhikari (The Vanishing Act), Pranaya SJB Rana (City of Dreams), Shiwani Neupane, Shradha Ghale (The Wayward Daughter) and Niranjan Kunwar (Between Queens and the Cities).[6][7]

Maithili literature
Main article: Maithili literature

Nepali literature
Main article: Nepali literature

Nepali literature consists of the literature written in the Nepali language. The Nepali language has been the national language of Nepal since 1958. The Nepali language has also been recognized as a "major Indian literary language" by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters.[8]

Nepal Bhasa literature
Main article: Nepal Bhasa literature

The literature written in Nepal Bhasa is called Nepal Bhasa literature.

Sanskrit

Modern Sanskrit literature in Nepal includes works by Nara Nath Acharya, Vishnu Raj Atreya, Shivraj Acharya Kaundinya among others.

Further reading
  • Nepali Sahityako Sankchhipta Itihas, Dr. Dayaram Shrestha & Mohanraj Sharma, Sajha Prakashan
  • Nepali Upanyas Ra Upanyaskar, Krishna Singh Pradhan, Sajha prakashan
  • Pandhra Tara Ra Nepali Sahitya, Krishna Prasad Parajuli, Sajha Prakashan

References
  1. "Canonising literature". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  2. Pun, Min (2017). "The canons of Nepali writing in English". Tribhuvan University Journal. 31 (1–2): 63–74. doi:10.3126/tuj.v31i1-2.25332 – via Nepljol.
  3. @therecord. "A voice from the past speaking to the present - The Record". www.recordnepal.com. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  4. "Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation". archive.md. 2013-07-25. Archived from the original on 2013-07-25. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  5. "Lettre Ulysses Award | Manjushree Thapa, Nepal". www.lettre-ulysses-award.org. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  6. "Rediscovering Thamel – 'Dark Star of Kathmandu'". The Wire. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  7. @therecord. "Richa Bhattarai: 'A day that I do not write is a day wasted' - The Record". www.recordnepal.com. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  8. Himalayan Voices: An Introduction to Modern Nepali Literature (Voices from Asia), edited and translated by Michael J. Hutt, University of California Press, 1991. p. 5. ISBN 9780520910263


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