Nepali literature - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Nepali Literature refers to the literature written in the Nepali language

Nepali language

Nepali or Nepalese is a language in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.It is the official language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar...

and should not be confused with Nepalese literature

Nepalese literature

Nepalese literature refers to the literature of Nepal. This is different from Nepali literature which is the literature in Nepali language . The major literary languages of Nepal are:*Sanskrit...

; a work that is classified as Nepali literature does not necessarily have to be written by a Nepalese/ written in Nepal. Much of today's Nepali literature is widely written outside of Nepal and many prominent writers were born in other countries e.g. Parijat

Parijat (writer)

Parijat was a Nepali writer. Her real name was Bishnu Kumari Waiba but she wrote under the pen name Parijat...

and Indra Bahadur Rai

Indra Bahadur Rai

Indra Bahadur Rai is an Indian Nepali writer and literary critic from Darjeeling. Being one of the most well-known modern authors of Nepali literature his major works are included on the syllabus of many universities for those studying Nepali in India...

.

The Nepali language

Nepali language

evolved from Sanskrit

Sanskrit

Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...

and it is difficult to exaclty date the history of Nepali literature since most early scholars wrote in Sanskrit

Sanskrit

. It is however possible to roughly divide Nepali literature into five periods.

Pre-Bhanubhakta Era

It is thought that Nepali literature has existed in verbal folklore for the past hundreds of years, however there exists no evidence of a written literary work before the Bhanubhakta.

Bhanubhakta Era

Nepali speakers honor Bhanubhakta as the "Adikavi" (literally meaning 'first poet') of the Nepali language. Bhanubhakta's most important contribution to Nepali literature is probably his translation of the holy Ramayana

Ramayana

The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...

into Nepali language, he wrote the Ramayana in metric form using the same form as Sanskrit scholars. Besides translating the Ramayana

Ramayana

Bhanubhakta also wrote original poems on a diverse range of subjects: from family morals advocacy, satires of bureaucracy to poor conditions of prisoners.

Motiram Era

Motiram Bhatta

Motiram Bhatta a Nepalese Poet, known as an era in Nepali literaturey was born on the Kathmandu in 1866 AD . At the age of six he left his birth place Kathmandu to get studies in Benaras, India. He learned Classical Sanskrit language and some music lessons at the age of fifteen...

is the person who revived the legacy of Bhanubhakta and publicized the contributions of the latter. Motiram played a fundamental role in the legacy of Bhanubhakta that some allege that Bhanubhakta was just a fabrication of Motiram's mind.

Pre-Revolution Era

The Pre-Revolution Era was a very prolific time for creative writing despite the lack of freedom of expression, during the period the independent magazine "Sharada" was the only printed medium available for publication of Nepali literature. Short stories by Laxmi Prasad Devkota

Laxmi Prasad Devkota

Laxmi Prasad Devkota , was a Nepali poet.Devkota is considered to be one of the best writers in Nepal. He is best known for the poem "Muna Madan". There are several tributes to the poem Muna Madan...

, Guru Prasad Mainali

Guru Prasad Mainali

Guru Prasad Mainali was a Nepali short story writer. Mainali is one of three well-known writers of Nepali literature, along with Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala and Laxmi Prasad Devkota....

and Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala

Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala

Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala was the Prime Minister of Nepal from 1959 to 1960. He led the Nepali Congress, a social democratic political party.Koirala was the first democratically elected Prime Minister in Nepal's history...

has become recognized as of tremendous importance. It is arguably the most significant period for the development of Nepali literature.

Short stories like the influential "Muna Madan" by Laxmi Prasad Devkota

Laxmi Prasad Devkota

Laxmi Prasad Devkota , was a Nepali poet.Devkota is considered to be one of the best writers in Nepal. He is best known for the poem "Muna Madan". There are several tributes to the poem Muna Madan...

tells the tales of human lifes: the story is about a man who in order to gain money leaves his wife and goes abroad and tragically dies when he returns. However the story also portrays the life of the wife who suffered greatly without her husband. Other stories by Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala

Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala

introduced psychology into literature e.g. "Teen Ghumti", "Doshi Chasma", "Narendra Dai", etc.

Post-Revolution Era

There are many modern nepali authors who has written groundbreaking innovative new Nepali literature e.g. Indra Bahadur Rai

Indra Bahadur Rai

, Parijat, Narayan Wagle

Narayan Wagle

Narayan Wagle is a Nepalese journalist and novelist. He was the editor of Kantipur Daily, one of Nepal's largest circulating newspapers, until 2008, and is currently the editor of Nagarik News...

, Manjushree Thapa

Manjushree Thapa

Manjushree Thapa is a Nepali writer.She grew up in Nepal, Canada and the USA. She began to write upon completing her BFA in photography at the Rhode Island School of Design. Her first book was Mustang Bhot in Fragments...

, Mahananda Poudyal

Mahananda Poudyal

Shree Mahananda Poudyal, an octogenarian Nepali writer was born in Kalimpong; Darjeeling District, India on the 19th of January 1931.He got his primary education from Saint Michael Roman Catholic School, Kalimpong. Later he went on to study in Scottish Universities Mission Institution. A very...

etc.

As Nepalese diaspora is rapidly widening around the world after 1990, many books are published from different corners of the world. Diasporic literature has developed the new ways of thinking and 'mutual transformation'. Some writers and novels, e.g. Hom Nath Subedi's 'Yampuri Ko Yatra', Pancham Adhikari's 'Pathik Pravasan

Pathik Pravasan

Pathik Pravasan is a travel novel written by Nepalese author, Pancham Adhikary and published in 2010 by Jaya Prakashan....

', offers illuminating vision of new models of identity.

External links

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