 First edition | |
| Author | Prajwal Parajuly |
|---|---|
| Country | India |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Short Stories |
| Publisher | Quercus |
Publication date | 2012 |
| Pages | 272 |
| ISBN | 9781848662759 |
| Followed by | Land Where I Flee |
The Gurkha's Daughter is a collection of short stories by Indian author Prajwal Parajuly, describing and dramatizing the experiences of Nepali-speaking people and the Nepali diaspora. The Hindustan Times described it as the "best short story collection you have read in a while". [1]
The book comprises eight stories based upon the Nepali-speaking societies of and around Nepal. Most of the stories in the book happen in Gorkhaland, that lies in the frontier of Nepal and India.
| Title of the story | Description |
|---|---|
| "The Cleft" | A disfigured servant girl plans to flee Nepal. |
| "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie" | A shopkeeper in Kalimpong faces an impossible dilemma. |
| "A Father's Journey" | A father reflects on his relationship with his only daughter. |
| "Missed Blessing" | A Hindu religious festival in Darjeeling brings with it a sacrifice. |
| "No Land is Her Land" | A Nepali Bhutanese refugee pins her hopes on the West. |
| "The Gurkha's Daughter" | A Gurkha's daughter tries to comprehend her father's complaints. |
| "Passing Fancy" | A retired woman contemplates an affair. |
| "The Immigrants" | Two young Nepali speaking immigrants meet in the New York City borough of Manhattan. |
In The Asian Review of Books, Nigel Collett called The Gurkha's Daughter a "promising debut", adding that Parajuly, "gets deep under the skin of his characters to reveal the often very difficult circumstances in which they live. I am aware of no other writer in English who has so vividly brought to life the dilemmas and constrictions of daily Nepalese life. The effect is poignant." [2] Babatdor Dkhar of the Calcutta Telegraph referenced the initial buzz surrounding Parajuly's two-book deal, saying that fears he would not live up to expectation proved unfounded. "Parajuly paints colourful landscapes of a world that forever has remained in the background. A world that made sense in the stereotype. A world whose characters come out of their small roles and make the starring ones their own. He brings to life the dreams, the everyday, the aspirations, the failures, love, the differences that add and the ones that remove." [3] The Lady magazine gave three stars to the collection, saying they were, "Stylistically reminiscent of Raymond Carver, while at the same time opening a door on to an unfamiliar world." [4] John Garth in The Guardian has written a long review of the book. [5]
On 7 October 2013, The Gurkha's Daughter was among seven titles short-listed for the Dylan Thomas Prize. [6]
The book was translated in Nepali as Gurkha ki Chhori and was published in 2015. [7]
Dame Joanna Lamond Lumley is an Indian-born British actress, presenter, former model, author, television producer, and activist. She has won two BAFTA TV Awards for her role as Patsy Stone in the BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous (1992–2012), and was nominated for the 2011 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for the Broadway revival of La Bête. In 2013, she received the Special Recognition Award at the National Television Awards, and in 2017 she was honoured with the BAFTA Fellowship award.
The Gurkhas or Gorkhas, with endonym Gorkhali[ɡorkʰali]), are soldiers native to the Indian Subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of Northeast India.
The Gorkha Kingdom was a member of the Chaubisi rajya, a confederation of 24 states on the Indian subcontinent ruled by the Khas people. In 1743 CE, the kingdom began a campaign of military expansion, annexing several neighbors and becoming present-day Nepal. The Gorkha Kingdom extended to the Marshyangdi River in the west, forming its border with the Kingdom of Lamjung. To the east, the kingdom extended to the Trishuli River, forming its border with the Nepal Mandala. The Gorkha Kingdom was established in 1559 CE by Prince Dravya Shah, second son of King Yasho Brahma Shah of Lamjung. The prince replaced the Khadka chiefs who previously ruled the region.
Samrat Upadhyay (born 1964) is a Nepalese born American writer who writes in English. Upadhyay is a professor of creative writing and has previously served as the Director of the Creative Writing Program at Indiana University. He is the first Nepali-born fiction writer writing in English to be published in the West. He was born and raised in Kathmandu, Nepal, and came to the United States in 1984 at the age of twenty-one. He lives with his wife and daughter in Bloomington, Indiana.
Sushma Joshi is a Nepali writer, filmmaker based in Kathmandu, Nepal. Her fiction and non-fiction deal with Nepal's civil conflict, as well as stories of globalization, migration and diaspora.
Yuyutsu Ram Dass Sharma is a Nepalese-Indian poet and journalist. He was born at Nakodar, Punjab and moved to Nepal at an early age. He writes in English and Nepali.
Prajwal Parajuly is an Indian writer whose works focus on Nepali-speaking people and their culture. Parajuly's works include the short-story collection The Gurkha's Daughter and novel Land Where I Flee.
Arresting God in Kathmandu is the debut book by Nepali-American author Samrat Upadhyay. Published in 2001, Arresting God in Kathmandu was awarded the Whiting Writers' Award for fiction. The book marks the first time a Nepali writer writing in English has been published in the West.
Gopal Parajuli is a Nepalese poet and writer. He won the Madan Puraskar prize with his epic Naya Ishwar Ko Ghoshana. He is known as a poet, short-story writer and playwright of post-modern and post-post-modern experimental vein.
Chhapamar ko Chhoro is a Nepali short story collection by Mahesh Bikram Shah. The book was published in 2007 by Sajha Prakashan. The book won the prestigious Madan Puraskar for the year 2063 BS (2007-2008). The anthology consists of eighteen stories centered around Maoist insurgency in Nepal.
Nohor Ram Gupta, professionally known as Bhawani Bhikshu was a Nepali writer, poet, literary journalist, academic and novelist. He has written multiple novels and short stories. Aagat, a novel published in 1975 is one of his best known books. He is also known for his funny story
Pranaya SJB Rana is a writer, editor and journalist based in Kathmandu, Nepal. He is currently editor of The Record, a digital-native news publication focusing on long form reporting, essays, and explainers. Rana was previously features editor and op-ed editor of The Kathmandu Post and a reporter for Nepali Times. Rana is also the author of a collection of short stories, City of Dreams: Stories, published by Rupa Publications, India.
Sharada Sharma is a Nepali writer and poet. Her debut novel, Taap, won the 2012 Padmashree Sahitya Samman award.
Tim Gurung is a Nepalese writer. Prior to taking on a career in writing, he served with the British Armed Forces as a Nepalese Gurkha.
Ayo Gorkhali: A History of the Gurkhas is a 2020 book by Nepalese author Tim Gurung. The book contains the history of Gurkhas. Ayo Gorkhali: A History of the Gurkhas received positive feedback from critics.
Song of the Soil is a 2019 Nepali novel by Chuden Kabimo. The novel is based on the Gorkhaland movement revolution that took place during 1980s in the northern part of West Bengal. The Nepali edition of the novel was initially published in 2019 by FinePrint Publication in Nepal and Sambodhan Publication in India. Kabimo, a writer from Kalimpong district, is the winner of the Yuva Puraskar for Nepali language 2018 for 1986—a short story collection centering around the Gorkhaland movement issue.
Land Where I Flee is a novel by Indian writer Prajwal Parajuly. It was published on November 14, 2013 by Quercus. It is the first novel and the second book of the author who had previously published a collection of short stories titled The Gurkha's Daughter which was shortlisted for Dylan Thomas Prize.
Kumar Nagarkoti is a Nepali writer, poet, and columnist. He is one of the most popular contemporary Nepali writer. He has published multiple books and is known for his use of surrealiastic style in his works.
Usha Sherchan is a Nepalese poet, lyricist and writer. She has published three collections of poetry, a collection of short stories and a novel. She has also written lyrics for five music albums. She writes about various social and feminism issues in her poems and stories. She is one of the few writers in Nepal who writes stories about queer people.
Shanti Mishra was a Nepali lecturer, librarian, writer and translator. She was the first Nepali female full-time lecturer and first Nepali female librarian. She was the first female librarian of Tribhuvan University Central Library. She also served as the founding director of PEN chapter of Nepal.