Fiction from Nepal, Tibet, India
and Other Countries
from Pilgrims Publishing, Varanasi,
India and Pilgrims Book House, Kathmandu, Nepal.
FEATURED BOOK
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Mortal Attractions: A Simpleton's Odyssey
by Prakash Gurung
Simpleton, the hero of this novel, migrates from his village
to Kathmandu in search of work and a better life. But he soon
begins to feel the pressure of big-city life as he finds it difficult
to find work and everyday survival becomes an uphill battle.
He falls in love with a girl from a higher caste family and experiences
the heartbreak of being rejected as a poor country boy.
This novel shows the struggle, desperation and frustration that
is the lot of millions of ordinary people in Third World countries
who dream of better and more fulfilling lives.
"Prakash Gurung's debut novel marks a new era... breathtaking
intensity and variety" - Shyamal K Shrestha, Sunday Despatch
(Kathmandu)
"A gripping story to set you thinking over the lot
of the poor people for whom dreams remain only to be rarely fulfilled."
- Prem N Kakkar, The Rising Nepal (Kathmandu)
Click here to read a review of this novel in
Spotlight Weekly
Paperback. 160 pages.
Weight: 210 g (7.4 oz).
Item No: 81-7303-056-1.
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*** Asia
***
Karmic Ties: A Novel of Modern Asia
by Stephen Long
Karmic Ties: A Novel of Modern Asia is the story of "Pompam",
a handsome "Buffalo Boy" from Isan, Buddhist Thailand's
most impoverished (though culturally rich) region. Miraculously,
the young boy, eldest son of a rice farmer, rises above his lowly
status as a novice monk to achieve an unheard of pinnacle of
worldly success. However, in the process he sacrifices everything
-- including his own body.
A graphic fictionalised account of Bangkok's infamous sex industry,
a disease that has already spread throughout Thailand and now
threatens every country that touches its borders, and so doing
puts all of southeast Asia in cultural, moral and economic jeopardy.
Karmic Ties paints a true picture of life as it really
is. Taking you to faraway places you have never seen, even if
you think you know Asia well. It will move you, entertain you,
and horrify you at the same time.
"Karmic Ties' universal themes of loss of innocence,
greed and corruption, man's inhumanity to man and their inevitable
karmic consequences, have rarely been as vividly expressed as
they are in this raw, new novel." -- Jonathon Ray Spinney,
author of The Awakening of the Red Feather
The author, Stephen Long, was born in Florida and has lived
for over 20 years in Hawaii and the Far East. He currently lives
in Los Angeles and New Mexico, where he writes fulltime.
Mr Long is also an active member of the Board of Directors of
Captive
Daughters , a non-profit organisation dedicated to mobilising
the public will against trafficking and sexual slavery in the
US and throughout the world.
Paperback. 451 pages.
Weight: 550 g (19.3 oz).
Item No: 8173032194
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*** England***
The Lovely Lady
by D H Lawrence
The Lovely Lady is but one of a collection of short stories
in this book.
But who is the lovely lady, and where is she going?
The situations portrayed in this collection of tales are as
familiar to the human race as the dawning of the sun each day.
They reverberate with the emotions, passions, and predicaments
in which anyone may find himself or herself. They illuminate
the often compelling absurdity of the human mind. And yet, as
in many of man's endeavours, the outcome of the given situations
is neither certain nor definite.
It is the complete unpredictability of the resolution to these
short sagas that is the masterstroke of the author, D. H. Lawrence.
Delve into these pages and find amusement in a situation that
you too might fall into!
Paperback. 240 pages.
Weight: 230 g (8.1 oz).
Item No: 8177695479.
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*** Germany***
Journey to the East
by Herman Hesse
This book tells the tale of a man (initials H H) who goes
on a wonderful and amazing journey through Asia. His travels
can also be seen as a parable of one person's search for enlightenment.
Ever since this book's first publication in 1932, it has influenced
generations of readers with its ideas on Eastern religion and
Jungian psychology and its criticism of Western middle-class
values.
The author of this book, who wrote many other great novels of
interest to those who love the East, won the Nobel Prize for
Literature.
"Brooding Teutonic power... freshness and authenticity"
- Times Literary Supplement
Hardback. 93 pages.
Weight: 155 g (5.4 oz).
Item No: 81-7303-101-0.
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Siddhartha
by Herman Hesse
Siddhartha, a young man, sets out on a spiritual search for an
understanding of the world.
"Famous novel of spiritual growth... Hesse's absorption
in Eastern religion and Jungian psychology and his criticism
of European bourgeois values has made him a great favorite with
several generations of young readers." -- The Reader's
Catalog
Hardback. 121 pages.
Weight: 270 g (9.5 oz).
Item No: 8129102048.
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*** India***
Beyond the Illusions
by Sheeba Shivangini Shah
This gripping tale is an intriguing, intimate saga of love and
betrayal, life and its puzzling dilemmas, blending erotic ecstasy
and sexual slavery with rampant religious rituals and tainted
Tantric temptations.
Bhairavi is puzzled when her husband, Jayant, suddenly begins
to try some new, weird and wonderful tricks in the bedroom. Soon
afterwards, he mysteriously disappears without saying a word.
Distraught, she sets off with her friend Neha in search of him,
across the plains of India to the foothills of the Himalaya and
the banks of the holy river Ganges.
What follows is a story that will capture your imagination,
stimulate your senses and mesmerise your mind with anticipation"for
all is not what it seems.
As Bhairavi extricates herself from the charms of the material
world around her, she slowly begins to slip deeper and deeper
into the realms of Tantra, taking the reader along with her into
the ethereal space of the black goddess, Kali. A spiritual quest
for ultimate realisation unfolds throughout the pages.
Paperback. 239 pages.
Weight: 300 g (10.5 oz).
Item No: 8177696629.
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The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Great
Detective in India and Tibet
by Jamyang Norbu
In 1891, a horrified British public learnt that Sherlock Homes
- in a last deadly struggle with the archcriminal Professer Moriarty
- had perished at the Reichenback Falls in Switzerland. Two years
later, popular demand made Conan Doyle resurrect the great detective.
Holmes informs a stunned Dr. Watson: "Traveled for two years
in Tibet therefore and amused myself by visiting Lhasa."
This is all that the world has known of Sherlock Holmes' journey
to the East.
Jamyan Norbu - an avid reader of Kipling and Doyle - has decided
to take the matter in his own hands: to investigate Holmes' stay
in Lhasa, Tibet. What he has unearthed is The Mandala,
written by a wily Bengali scholar, Hurrie Chunder Mookergee,
Holmes' travelling companion. The Mandala holds the key
to the mystery and reveals Holmes in a landscape so fascinating,
a game so intriguing that it is difficult to resist. An
exciting, oftern richly humorous detective story The Mandala
of Sherlock Holmes also evokes the romance of Kipling's India.
Paperback. 287 pages.
Weight: 320 g (11.2 oz).
Item No: 8172233647.
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Om: The Secret of Ahbor Valley
by Talbot Munday
This enthralling and fast-paced mystery novel is set in British
India during the 1920s.
The author, Talbot Munday, wrote top-selling mystery and adventure
novels in early and middle years on the 20th century. Captain
Athelstan King, the hero of one of his novels, King of the
Khyber Rifles (1916), has been called "the first 20th
century action hero, the forerunner of James Bond and Jack Ryan,
the fictional precursor of Lawrence of Arabia" (with) "adventure
and derring-do on the India-Afghanistan border" and featuring
"conflicts among Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and Europeans".
Paperback. 409 pages.
Weight: 500 g (17.5 oz).
Item No: 8177692461.
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Tales of Banaras, the Flowing Ganges: The Life and Lore of
India's Sacred City on the Ganges
by Rudra Kashikey (pen name of Shiv Prasad Mishra). Translated
by Paul R Golding with Virendra Singh.
This unique collection of short stories is the one book that
most literary-minded citizens of Banaras (also known as Benares
or Varanasi) unequivocally recommend as the best modern work
of historical fiction.
The sacred city of Banaras is one of the oldest inhabited cities
on earth and one of the oldest Hindu pilgrimage sites on the
flowing Ganges. A place of faith, death and cremation ghats for
millions of believers since time immemorial, it is also a city
of drugs, thieves, prostitutes and abandoned widows.
The translators draw on their vast scholarship and with introductory
notes, explanatory postscripts and extensive glossary elucidate
the original text so that the traditions of Banaras and its inhabitants,
both Hindu and Muslim, come alive and its haunting sounds and
smells become almost tangible.
In addition to revealing the mythology, customs and history of
Banaras, these evocative psychological tales are also notable
for their human tragedies of unrequited love and nostalgia for
a romantic past that has gone with the flowing Ganges.
Paperback. 191 pages. B&W historical drawings.
Weight: 290 g (10.2 oz).
Item No: 81-7303-054-5.
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Where Angels Face the Heat
by Edel Weis
Where Angels Face the Heat is story of a group of intrepid
IAF (Indian Air Force) officers who are forced down over Chinese
occupied Tibet just before the Indo-China conflict of 1962. Filled
with suspense, action, betrayal and love it tells us how they
were captured, how they survived and how they eventually escaped
and crossed into India.
Paperback. 337 pages.
Weight: 380 g (13.3 oz).
Item No: 8177695088.
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*** Nepal***
Arresting
God in Kathmandu
by Samrat Upadhyay |
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From the first Nepali author writing in English
to be published in the West, Arresting God in Kathmandu
brilliantly explores the nature of desire and spirituality in
a changing society. With the assurance and unsentimental wisdom
of a long-established writer, Upadhyay records the echoes of
modernization throughout love and family. Here are husbands and
wives bound together by arranged marriages but sometimes driven
elsewhere by an intense desire for connection and transcendence.
In a city where gods are omnipresent, where privacy is elusive
and family defines identity, these men and women find themselves
at the mercy of their desires but at the will of their society.
Psychologically rich and astonishingly acute, Arresting God
in Kathmandu introduces a potent new voice in contemporary
fiction.
What the reviews say:
Love and matrimony are as complicated in modern Nepal as anywhere
else, as depicted in this debut collection of stories from one
of the first Nepali authors writing in English to be published
in the West. In only one of the nine stories does the focus waver
from the tensions inherent in a class-conscious society where
most marriages are still arranged, despite the fast-forward of
globalization and a younger population used to traveling abroad
or at least hearing about it. Parents such as the mother in "The
Room Next Door" are angry and confused when their children
are reluctant to conform. This mother is shamed when her college-age
daughter becomes pregnant; the girl then marries the only man
who might have her an unemployed simpleton who has appeared on
their doorstep. Young couples at a loss to articulate submerged
desires find it difficult to communicate in times of stress.
In "The Good Shopkeeper," an accountant who loses his
job drifts away from his wife and into an affair with a servant
girl; the dissolution of another man's marriage to an American
woman gives way to an unusual rebound relationship in "Deepak
Misra's Secretary." While all of the stories are set in
Nepal, one, "This World," also dips into New Jersey
and explores the ambivalence of a young woman deciding her future
and, by extension, her identity. Those seeking the exoticism
so often found in contemporary Indian fiction won't find it here
there are no lush descriptions or forays into spirituality. In
an assured and subtle manner, Upadhyay anchors small yet potent
epiphanies in a place called Kathmandu, and quietly calls it
home. -- Publishers Weekly (USA) |
Paperback. 191 pages.
Weight: 250 g (8.8 oz).
Item No: 8171678033.
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Biswamitra
by Indira Prasai
Paperback. 133 pages. Nepali text.
Weight: 170 g (6 oz).
Item No: N000023088.
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Confession
by Kavita Ram Shrestha
Controversial and boldly written, this powerful translation
is available for the first time in the English language. The
Nepali characters of a sick woman, a dwarf and a prostitute portray
frustrated people which society creates but then turns into objects
of hatred. Although it is a story of opposition to society's
values, it is, as the author says, "a story that exists
in all places, times and personalities". Introduction by
Krishnachandra Singh.
Paperback. 75 pages.
Weight: 135 g (4.7 oz).
Item No: 81-7303-033-2.
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Faulty Glasses and Other Stories
by B P Koirala. Translated by Keshar Lall.
In this book, Nepal's pre-eminent statesman, B P Koirala,
recreates a world of emotion in all its varied manifestations:
love, loathing, compassion, jealousy, fear, affection, anger
and pity.
Written in the late 1940s, his short stories of human interaction
take place at various locations throughout Nepal. They provide
valuable insights into the everyday lives of the Nepalese people.
B P Koirala is considered to be the father of modern Nepal. As
the country's popularly elected Prime Minister, he is eminently
qualified to illuminate the customs, attitudes and activities
of his people.
In this collection, Koirala has bequeathed to us a treasury of
tales that look beyond the obvious and attempt to delve into
the motivations and aspirations of his characters. One can find
no better Nepali raconteur than B P Koirala and no finer vehicle
than these short but meaningful stories.
Paperback. 69 pages.
Weight: 105 g (3.7 oz).
Item No: 81-7303-055-3.
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Fever
by Sita Panday. Edited by Yuyutsu R D Sharma. Translated by Yuyutsu
R D Sharma and others.
Fever is an explosive anthology of short stories from
an author who has been at the centre of literary commotion in
Nepal for the past two decades.
Mature and skillfully structured, these stories investigate the
hidden recesses of a woman's mind. Bold, intense and honest,
they narrate the life struggle of a young woman from the Nepalese
countryside hankering for a fresh emotional plateau of faith
in a callously modernised cityscape of the legendary Shangri-la
kingdom. Thus as one reads Sita Panday page after page, one finds
the personal fused with the public.
Having entered the valley of a woman's mind, Sita effortlessly
transcends gender and geography. The rage and revolt expressed
in her characters reveals a woman's urge to shatter the norms
of a decaying value system and reach out to a "universal
celebration" and a "private space".
Translated from Nepali for the first time, Fever bears
testimony to the richness and diversity of South Asian literature.
Paperback. 93 pages.
Weight: 150 g (5.3 oz).
Item No: 8185693935.
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The Green Eye
by Peter Byrne
At the turn of the century a man named J. Milton Hayes wrote
a set of verses called The Green Eye of the Little Yellow
God. The verses tell the story of a young British officer
named Carew, who steals the Green Eye, a priceless emerald, from
a temple in the mountains north of Kathmandu, Nepal. The emerald
gift from him to the daughter of the colonel of his regiment,
with whom he is then in love. The priests of the temple follow
Carew back to his barracks, and kill him.
Six book author Peter Byrne's daring and challenging stories,
The Green Eye, tells us a different tale: Carew does not
die, he is dismissed from his regiment and leaves Kathmandu and,
taking the eye with him, returns to England. Now many years later
and a distinguished member of the British aristocracy, he finds
his conscience bothered by his youthful folly and decides to
return the Eye to its rightful owners.
He secretly employs a professional, Wildman, for the mission.
But word leaks out and when Wildman is traveling through India,
he finds himself pursued by a group of men who are a remnant
of Hindu thugs of old. Their leader is Vask, a powerful and ruthless
gangster who will do anything to get the priceless emerald, including
the use of his terrifying brother, a mentally retarded giant,
to torture, mutilate and kill anyone who gets in his way.
At Lord Carew's suggestion, Wildman takes with him a tough
little Sherpa and on the way across India, where he is joined
by a beautiful young Australian woman, Carew's granddaughter.
At first, a confirmed bachelor, he wants nothing to do with her.
Then slowly, a love affair develops as the three battle the thugs
through a series of brutal fights, kidnappings, torture, car
chases and shoot-outs, to a deadly finale in the mountains.
The story begins in an exclusive club in London and sweeps
on from there through Lord Carew's castle in Scotland to the
seething city of Bombay. It includes an interlude at the encampment
of a famous Indian woman bandit and then races north to the ancient
and mysterious city of Kathmandu, the dark side of which few
modern travellers know. Based on the author's own experiences,
the story encompasses murder and mayhem, treachery and deceit,
courage and cowardice, love and passion, torture and violent
death, all set against the background of the endless battle between
good and evil. Methodically documented by the author's extraordinary
photographs, The Green Eye is required reading for all
who are stirred by adventure and the dangerous but exhilarating
game of pitting one's wits against a seemingly invincible foe.
Paperback. 400 pages.
Weight: 575 g (20.1 oz).
Item No: 8177692089.
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Guests in this Country: A Development Fantasy
by Greta Rana
Becky Sidebottom, a recent university graduate, lands her
first job as a Junior Programme Officer for an international
aid agency in the Third World, one party state of Lapalistan.
An innocent abroad, Becky quickly learns the ropes and gets caught
up in a maelstrom of espionage, counter-revolution, romance,
pregnancy and tennis matches. Greta Rana's humorous but thought-provoking
novel is a biting spoof about the new colonialism of development
aid which benefits administrators and local elites more than
the poor.
"A wicked spoof about a junior development worker's encounters
with aid red tape and government mismanagement in the fictional
(but oh-so-Nepali) land of Lapalistan." - David
Reed, Nepal (Rough Guides)
"As much fun as The Mouse That Roared" - Pallav
Ranjan, Kathmandu Post
Paperback. 365 pages.
Weight: 450 g (15.8 oz).
Item No: 81-7303-034-0.
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Kathmandu, Treks and Hippies Too
by Dorothy Mierow
Based on her own experiences, Dorothy Mierow's absorbing and
dramatic novel chronicles the adventures of Cindy Adams, a bright
but confused college graduate who in the 1960s was among the
first American Peace Corps Volunteers to be sent to Nepal, a
small and remote Himalayan kingdom which, till then, was isolated
from the rest of the world. Aside from the Peace Corps, Nepal
was also becoming the new found "Shangri La" destination
for the Asia-overland, vagabond hippie set. In those heady days,
hash was legal, love was cheap and life was high. Struggling
to make sense of an alien but exotic culture which she helps
to bring from the middle ages into the 20th century, Cindy questions
her own values and finds her way towards a fulfilling purpose
in life.
Paperback. 175 pages.
Weight: 220 g (7.7 oz).
Item No: 81-7303-040-5.
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Loyals of the Crown
by Sheeba Shivangini Shah
Loyals of the Crown proves itself to be distinct both
in terms of its approach, aptitude and presentation. It bubbles
with the enthusiasm to probe deep into the conclaves of the most
controversial. The author endeavors to fill in the vacuum created
by the past generation of historians and literalist and have
proven the fact that history is not merely an elucidation of
single protagonist and events and activities surrounding them.
History as she puts it is an episode, which has peripheral dimensions
where a multitude of characters, events and activities needs
to be taken into consideration.
This is what she has done describing the temperament and idiosyncrasies
of His Majesty King Rajendra in a manner, which has been completely
ignored by earlier writers. She depicts him, not as a senile,
incompetent, irrational and schizophrenic personality , but speaks
of his concealed attributes and describes him as a loving husband,
an intriguing diplomat, and a true nationalist. It is also clear
that his wives, his courtiers and 'Darbarias' exploited his weaknesses
to the fullest extent and whilst pretending to be 'Loyal' betrayed
him and usurped the royal governance. The Royals as she projects
them were never able to make correct and sane judgments in selecting
the 'Loyal' thus those who were truly loyal in due course of
time would either be dumped or assassinated as was epitomized
by the fates of both Mathbir Singh Thapa and Bhimsen Thapa.
Written as historical fiction with the underlying romantic activities
of the Royal court providing the base for the story line; this
novel provides us with a unique view of life as it was in the
Nepali court in the pre-Rana era. It also provides us with insight
into the scenario behind Jung Bahadur's usurping of the royal
authority and the establishing of the Rana dynasty that ruled
Nepal with an iron hand for one hundred and four years.
"I personally would recommend the research scholars,
the historians and other writers to go through the Loyal of
the Crown, which has attempted to answer many questions that
had remained unattended either intentionally or our of ignorance
by the conventional historians of Nepal." -- Diwaker
Chand
Paperback. 312 pages.
Colour and B&W photographs.
Weight: 400 g (14 oz).
Item No: 8177692690.
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Khairini Ghat: Return to a Nepali Village
by Shanker Koirala. Translated by Larry Hartsell.
After having lost himself for ten years in Calcutta, a weary
traveller returns to his native village in the hills of Nepal.
He strives to cope with the political and social changes, while
attempting to regain his former status, resist the temptations
of village women and manage the affairs of village life. An evocative
narrative providing a rare glimpse of rural Nepal of the recent
past that is slowly disappearing.
"This small sensuous novel... packed with acition...
has all the ingredients of a bestseller" - The Rising
Nepal
"Competent translation" - John Whelpton, Nepal (Clio
Press)
Paperback. 101 pages.
Weight: 130 g (4.6 oz).
Item No: 81-7303-041-1.
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Modern Literary Nepali: An Introductory Reader
by Michael Hutt
This book introduces a selection of published 20th century Nepali
texts, in both prose and verse. It contains 5 short stories,
2 essays, an extract from an autobiography, and 20 complete poems,
along with 7 extracts from a longer narrative poem and provides
an introduction into modern Nepali literature.
Paperback. 286 pages.
Weight: 380 g (13.3 oz).
Item No: 0195651111.
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Mortal Attraction: A Simpleton's Odyssey
by Prakash Gurung
Life in the Third World is a hard one, and Nepal is no exception.
The story of Simpleton, the hero of the book, is but a reflection
of the many privations and difficulties endured by the people
on a daily basis, affecting every aspect of their insecure lives
and loves in which money makes a very romantic gift indeed.
The aptly-named hero leaves his village for the bright lights
of the big city to fall in love again. Love, murder, marriage,
the grandeur of the Ranas, and unemployment form the skein of
which the web of this story is woven right up to its surprise
ending. It depicts middle class life in the Kathmandu of the
1940s and the economic and intellectual environment from which
it sprang.
"Prakash Gurung's debut novel marks a new era... breathtaking
intensity and variety" - Shyamal K Shrestha, Sunday Despatch
(Kathmandu)
"A gripping story to set you thinking over the lot
of the poor people for whom dreams remain only to be rarely fulfilled."
- Prem N Kakkar, The Rising Nepal (Kathmandu)
Paperback. 160 pages.
Weight: 210 g (7.4 oz).
Item No: 81-7303-056-1.
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Nepal Gold: A Perilous Search for a Priceless Treasure
by Jason Schoonover
Nepal Gold takes the reader from the soaring heights of
the Great Himalaya down into the steamy jungles of the Golden
Triangle and then on to the seamy bars of Bangkok and Manila.
Full of the seamy side of an ex-pat's life in the east this story
will carry you around the world until you too feel the jet lag!
Paperback. 462 pages.
Weight: 500 g (17.5 oz).
Item No: 8177692003.
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Palpasa Cafe
by Narayan Wagle
Best selling Nepali novel Palpasa Café is now available
in English. Palpasa Café is a Nepali novel written
by journalist Narayan Wagle which was released in 2005.
Since its release the book has received many honours including
the highly prestigious literary award in Nepal, the Madan
Puraskar.
Palpasa Café has sold more than 16,000 copies
in the Nepali language original and has been amongst the most
talked about book in contemporary Nepali literature of recent
times.
It is now available for the first time in the English language
translation.
"I am glad my work will now reach a broader mass. I thank
all those who made this book happen first in Nepali and then
now in English."
-- Narayan Wagle, the author of the book.
"A powerful anti-war novel that will be read and talked
about for years. It drags us beyond Shangri-La and forces us
to look at the abyss below."
-- Nepali Times
"What Wagle has been writing in the mainstream print
media is real but this novel is even more real."
-- The Kathmandu Post
Paperback. 240 pages. First English translation.
Weight: 300 g (10.5 oz).
Item No: 978-9937-8021-0-9
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A Place Beneath the Pipal Tree
by Greta Rana
A Place Beneath the Pipal Tree describes three generations
of Sherpa women, the men in their lives, the times they lived
in, and the dilemmas they faced. While not over romanticising
the past, when it was originally written it could almost have
been prophetic in its misgivings about the future in an environment
governed by status and taboo, in which women have to work hard
to achieve the respect that should be their birthright.
Greta Rana was born in 1943 in Leeds. After studying sociology,
literature and linguistics, she worked as a social worker in
Canada and then later for the UNICEF in Nepal, where she met
her future husband. Greta Rana has previously published four
poem collections, 55 short stories and three novellas. A Place
Beneath the Pipal Tree is her first novel. She was a founding
member of the International PEN Centre, Nepal.
Paperback. 546 pages.
Weight: 450 g (15.8 oz).
Item No: 8177694235
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The Red Temple
by Mani Dixit
A tourist bus sets off to Pokhara, a small domestic resort
in Nepal, but the passengers inside are not what they seem. Little
do they all realise that within a week, four of them will be
dead. Drug smugglers, Tibetan freedom fighters and undercover
agents conspire to thwart each other's plans.
This thriller gives a fascinating insight into Nepal of the 70s,
when Freak Street was in its heyday, hash smoke billowed from
every cheap hotel and no one slept with the same partner twice.
There are mountain hideaways that unsuspecting travellers
enter, never again to see the light of day.
Paperback. 109 pages.
Weight: 110 g (3.9 oz).
Item No: 81-7303-053-7.
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The Royal Ghosts: Stories
by Samrat Upadhyay
The Royal Ghosts features characters trying to reconcile
their true desires with the forces at work in Nepali society.
Against the backdrop of the violent Maoist insurgencies that
have claimed thousand lives, these characters struggle with their
duties to their aging parents, an oppressive caste system, and
the complexities of arranged marriage. In the end, they manage
to fine peace and connection, often where they least expect it
-- with the people directly in front of them. These stories brilliantly
examine not only Kathmandu during a time of political crisis
and cultural transformation but also the effects of that city
on the individual consciousness.
"Like Willam Trevor, Samrat Upadhyay compresses into
a short story the breadth of vision and human consequence we
expect of a novel, and he does so in a prose that seems as natural
as breathing. If there were an author of the universe who bestowed
on us the tender regard that Upadhyay bestows on hi struggling
people, we would be blessed indeed."
-- Scott Tussell Sandres, author of A Private History of Awe
"Elegant, rich, and pleasing, the stories of the The
Roayl Ghosts will haunt readers long after the book is finished.
These are tales of both the individual and the society, conveying
a measured, transcendental gaze at the nature of the world."
-- Diana Abu-Jaber, Author of The Language of Baklava
Paperback. 207 pages.
Weight: 220 g (7.7 oz).
Item No: 81-291-0915-8.
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Rupamati
by Rudra Raj Pandey. Translated by Shanti Mishra.
Rupamati is considered to be the first modern novel in Nepal.
Translated into English for the first time, Rupamati deals with
the duties of a daughter-in-law in a traditional Brahmin family.
It depicts "the blows and counter blows within the circle
of a family.... This book wholly embodies the ideal of reform
in domestic life," writes leading Nepali poet, Lekhnath
Poudyal. "Whoever begins to read this book will not want
to put it down."
"This book is joyful, instructive and inspiring. Moreover,
it should be considered as a new light and as a new milestone
within the history of the Nepali prose." -
Lakshmi Prasad Devkota
Paperback. 139 pages.
Weight: 190 g (6.7 oz).
Item No: 81-7303-102-9.
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Sumnima
by B P Koirala
Sumnima a famous Nepali novel by B P Koirala, a former
Prime Minister of Nepal is about the painful complications
that arise in a man-woman relationship. The story is about the
powerful attraction that exists between a Brahmin boy and an
ordinary girl. It deals with the conflict within the boy who
also wishes to pursue spiritual salvation but is torn between
his desire for this woman and his urge for spiritual emancipation.
To surmount carnal desires is not possible for an ordinary
mortal and the pleasures of the flesh have a place in life. The
Brahmin boy is serious about his spiritual goals but succumbs
to the charms of a lovely girl.
Sumnima was viewed as highly controversial when it first appeared
in Nepal. The author was accused of inciting communal feelings
against certain sections of Nepali society. The book was also
looked upon as an attempt to project Brahmins as superior beings.As
a result, copies of the book were burnt by a particular
community to express their anguish against its publication.
"An excellent work by a leading socialist author."
-Madhav Ghimire, noted Nepali poet
"I consider Sumnima to be a most powerful work by B P Koirala."
-Kamal Mani Dixit, leading Nepali author
Paperback. 114 pages. Hindi text. Translated from original
Nepali.
Weight: 165 g (5.8 oz).
Item No: 81-7303-048-0.
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Tilled Earth: Stories
by Manjushree Thapa
Startlingly original and closely observed stories that capture
the dynamism and diversity of Nepali society in a time of great
flux
In Tilled Earth several compressed, poetic and deeply
evocative micro-stories offer fleeting glimpses of small, private
dramas of people caught midlife: an elderly woodworker loses
his way in a modern Kathmandu neighbourhood; a homesick expatriate
nurses a hangover; a clerk at the Ministry of Home Affairs learns
to play Solitaire on the computer; a young man is drawn to politics
against his better judgement; a child steals her classmate's
book . . .
The longer stories in the collection, too, span a wide course,
taking subjects from rural and urban Nepal as well as from the
Nepali diaspora abroad. In "Tilled Earth" a young woman
goes to Seattle as a student, and finds herself becoming an illegal
alien. "Love Marriage" is an inner narration by a young
man who -- defying family pressure -- falls in love with a woman
of the wrong caste. In 'The Buddha in the Earth-Touching Posture",
a retired secretary visits the Buddha's birthplace, Lumbini,
only to find his deepest insecurities exposed.
With their unexpected, inventive forms, these stories reveal
the author's deep love of language and commitment to craft. Manjushree
Thapa pushes the styles of her stories to match the distinctiveness
of their content, emerging confidently as a skilled innovator
and formalist.
Paperback. 196 pages.
Weight: 300 g (10.5 oz).
Item No: 0143102648.
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The Tutor of History
by Manjushree Thapa
The first major novel in English to emerge from Nepal,
The Tutor of History is a portrait of a society in change
that is ultimately a story of idealism alienation and love. The
events of the novel unfold against the backdrop of a campaign
for parliamentary elections in the bustling roadside town of
Khaireni Tar. Written with rare insight into the politics of
a nation and of human relationships, The Tutor of History
marks the arrival of a significant new voice from the Subcontinent.
Paperback. 442 pages. English text.
Weight: 500 g (17.5 oz).
Item No: 0-14-100774-5.
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The Window of the House Opposite
by Govinda Bahadur Malla. Translated by Larry Hartsell.
The Window of the House Opposite is a classic story of the
struggle between social obligations and sexual passion. Misri,
a Newari bride, is settling into an arranged marriage to a kindly
but weak bureaucrat. Against her own better judgement, she gradually
becomes captivated by the handsome and disreputable man who comes
to visit the house opposite her window each day. The novel's
spare elegant language traces their increasing mutual attraction
up to the inevitable crisis.
Paperback. 111 pages.
Weight: 115 g (4 oz).
Item No: 81-7303-121-5.
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*** Tibet***
Lost Horizon
by James Hilton
While escaping war-torn China, four people crash in the Himalayas
where they are rescued and taken to an enchanted mountain paradise
called Shangri La. Hidden from the rest of the world, Shangri
La is a place where peace abounds and time has virtually stopped.
You can read this book as a classic utopian novel, an unusual
view of lamastic Buddhism or as a great adventure story that
is difficult to put down!
Paperback. 277 pages.
Weight: 235 g (8.2 oz).
Item No: 81-7303-104-5.
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*** United
States***
Beyond the Summit
by Linda LeBlanc
Beyond the Summit tells the story of two people
with dreams: Beth, an American journalist who finally arrives
in her Shangri-la to do a story on Nepal and Dorje, a young Sherpa
who aspires to summit Everest like Tenzing Norgay, even if it
means severing ties with his father's traditions.
As tourists flood into the remote Himalayan kingdom, Dorje yearns
for what the modern world brings. He struggles not only aginst
violent storms and the mountain that has seduced him since childhood
but clashes with his father as old ways vanish. Immediately attracted
to the blond-haired woman who comes to study his people, Dorje
experiences a deeper love than he has ever known and learns the
consequences of their affair.
"This superbly crafted novel will land you in a world
of unimaginable beauty, adventure and romance. The author's work
resonates with the incredible depth, warmth, and simplicity of
the Sherpa people. The gripping narrative has a strong sense
of place with luminous descriptions of landscape and culture
and offers sensitive insight into the characters. The love story
between a worldly Western journalist and a Sherpa guide will
keep you awake at night with its vibrant tension and deep rich
loving" -- Wick Downing, author of nine novels including
Leonardo's Hand
"Linda's been there. She's hiked the steep trails, crossed
swaying suspension bridges, and endured bitter cold nights at
18,000 feet. She immerses you so intimately into the culture
and place that you swear you've been there too. The feeling lingers
long after you've put the book down." -- Jim Wills, Nepal
tour operator for over 20 years.
About the author: At the foot of the Rockies, Denver
has always been Linda LeBlanc's home. Her love of mountains inspired
her to be a founder of the first hut-to-hut system inNepal. She
later organised and led treks to the Everest region where she
fell in love with the Sherpas living in the shadow of the world's
highest mountain.
CLICK HERE TO SEE FRONT COVER AND MORE TESTIMONIALS
Paperback. 286 pages.
Weight: 350 g (12.3 oz).
Item No: 8177694332.
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Eve's Diary, translated from the Original MS
by Mark Twain
What if Adam and Eve had kept diaries in the Garden of Eden?
What would this have told us about their characters? In
Adam's Diary (1904) and Eve's Diary (1906), Mark Twain
with his timeless wit and fertile imagination shows us what might
have resulted. Eve's Diary is both funny and sad. It is a
book for lovers and for the pure of heart. One quote to give
the feel of this small gem: "Wherever she was, there was
Eden."
Paperback. 109 pages. B&W woodcuts.
Weight: 100 g (3.5 oz).
Item No: 81-7624-034-6.
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The Gorkha Urn
by Matthew S Friedman
Three unsuspecting, teenage boys on overnight fishing trip in
one of the West Virginia's largest parks, accidentally stumble
onto the corpse of Robert Carter, a highly respected antique
dealer from New York City. In an effort to uncover the bizarre
circumstances surrounding his mysterious death, the boys embark
on an adventure which unwittingly pulls them deeply into a tangled
web of murder, lies and deceit.
The twisted trail of clues takes them down a path which revolves
around a priceless religious object stolen from Nepal, known
as the "Gorkha Urn"; a crooked defense dealer seeking
to use this object to acquire a lucrative contract in the Near
East; and a beautiful ex-Peace Corps volunteer whose role in
all of this remains a mystery until the very end.
The climax to The Gorkha Urn will shock and intrigue you.
For the reader seeking suspense and adventure with edge-of-the-seat
excitement, this novel is for you.
To see the cover of this book, click
here.
Paperback. 232 pages.
Weight: 330 g (11.6 oz).
Item No: 81-7769-030-2.
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Lake of Death
by Phill Jensen
A time-travel adventure story set in interior British Columbia.
Suitable for teenage and adult readers.
Sonny Graham is fishing on a large Canadian lake when he decides
to explore a small island that has long fascinated him. As he
wades ashore to tie up his boat he notices two men standing in
the shade of a nearby tree. Sonny does not want company and ignores
the two strangers, but they insist on making his acquaintance.
During the next several hours they relate an incredible story
of how they have accidentally passed through from a troubled
community existing in another dimension on the lake. As he listens,
Sonny realises that the strangers believe he is an elusive prophet
they have been seeking and that they expect him to help save
their world from imminent disaster. Sonny, who suspects they
are either criminal or insane, agrees to help while secretly
planning to abandon them at the first opportunity. By the time
he realises they are telling the truth, however, it is already
too late to back out. And it is only then that he realises far
more is expected of him than he is willing to give.
Paperback. 202 pages.
Weight: 280 g (9.8 oz).
Item No: 81-7303-088-X.
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