An Evening with Mr. Dilip Simeon and Ms. Manjushree Thapa
A couple of weekends or so ago, I’d attended The Tavern Tales – an event that is organized in regular intervals by Quixote’s Cove: a nice little bookshop out in JawlaKhel. That particular installment of The Tavern Tales had featured Mr. Dilip Simeon – whose book Revolution Highway, I’m reading these days when I’m, you know, dropping the dookie (time is hard to find). Also headlining this event was the always thoughtful and articulate – Ms. Manjushree Thapa.
Needless to say, this time also, I chatted up with Ms.Thapa – asked her about the making of Prema and again, my favorite novel character of all time (this guy shoved Luca Brasi to second place) – Giridhar. Also chatted up with Mr. Simeon, an eloquent and an entertaining individual who seems to have seen it all as far as being a Red Revolutionary is concerned. He’s written a book about it – so to me, more or less, that makes him qualified enough to know the involutions of being a hardcore Communist – a Naxalite in India back in the 60s and the 70s.
“Why did you join and why’d you quit?”, I’d asked Mr. Simeon when I’d raised my hand and declared: “I have a question” after the Emcee’d wanted to know if there were any further questions from the attendees of the event for the author of the advertised book. He’d chuckled and provided us with a litany of reasons from which I’d gathered a couple of substantial phrases: “to them, laughing is a crime – and I had to laugh” and “they block, they restrain”.
So when I took my purchase of The Revolutionary Road for him to autograph for me, I’d shot another one at Mr. Simeon: “Last night, one of our politicians and the Most Popular Maoist in Nepal, smiled, even managed to crack a joke in our Constituent Assembly [अब पनि हामीले प्रधान्मन्त्रि नियुक्त गर्नबाट चुक्यौं भने जनताले हामीलाई जुत्ताले हान्छन .. - प्रचन्ड], what should we make of it?” Mr. Pushpa Kamal Dahal had been more than congenial for my taste in humor the previous night at the Constituent Assembly right after he’d forged the now not-so-secret compromise with the Prime Minister Mr. Jhal Nath Khanal.
DE: “That’s a great sign. Rejoice! He’s no longer a Communist.”
I, of course, had my doubts.
I: “Why do you say that? Of course, Communists smile? They’re breathing – they must smile, even if by mistake?”
DE: “Not a real one. Smiling, having fun, being entertained is almost considered blasphemy. So if your politician is smiling and cracking jokes and he calls himself a Maoist, he most certainly is not.”
I complained that the Nepali Maoists like to party as much as they like to terrorize. What with all the cultural shows they show off whenever they get a chance ..
DE: “In that case, they aren’t Communists – especially, Maoists.”
I: “So what are they? And why do they continue to befuddle – and why’d they kill?”
DE: “Your army – did they kill?”
I: “Yes.”
DE: “So there’s your answer.”
I: “In a war?”
DE: “Yes. Also, they needed a reason – those Maoists found a big one in poverty.”
I: “Do you agree with them? You’ve seen it. And you’ve done it and quit. What do you say?”
DE: “If he’s smiling and cracking jokes in the parliament, you needn’t worry, it’s all gonna be good.”
I – wondering why some things never fit, then had left to attend a wedding – a bit typsy, thanks to all the Aila I had freely consumed for free at The Bookshop.
Thapa is the only nepali writer knows in Italy. We have one her book: Forget Kathmandu edited by Neri Pozza , very nice but not easy to find. I am master hand in Asian literature and i like very much this book
Hey Sonia, what do you mean when you say “I am master hand in Asian literature”? And how’d you run into Forget Kathmandu?
Hi. it means that Asian culture and literature is my professional and personal field.
When i was in Nepal i visited many bookshops to understand nepali literature. I found many interesting things but those are impossible to find in Italy. Thapa is the only nepali writer who has italian translation.
Forget Khatmandu is interesting book, especially in middle part where there is a good perspective about Nepal’s history until Gyanendra.
In Italy this book has been not so famous because Nepal is far and people doesn’t know about this wonderfull country.
Good all
Sonia
That sounds like an interesting field to be in.
Your English is pretty good – and most of the books about Nepali Literature written in English shouldn’t be that difficult to understand also – unfortunately, I’m not able to tell you which ones. I have asked a few friends if they know anything about Nepali books being translated into your language. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear back from them. But I think you’re right – I couldn’t imagine many Nepali books being translated into Italian.
One of the popular bookshops in Kathmandu is this joint: http://www.mandalabookpoint.com/index.php
Don’t know if you got a chance to go there when you were in Nepal last. But they sell books online. Perhaps you will find books on Nepali Literature there (again, very few with Italian translations I would assume)?
Yes our history is pretty interesting – full of Royal Craziness and unsolved mysteries. And Ms. Manjushree Thapa has portrayed it in an entertaining fashion in Forget Kathmandu.
Hi,
thank you very much for your answer.
I know very well mandala book shop and already read nepali book in english language without problems.
I am only sorry about translation absence because one of my commit is spread nepali culture in Italy.
I pressed Neri Pozza editor to print again Forget Kathmandu because, before 2010, copies finished and book was untraceable. Now it is possible here
http://www.neripozza.it/collane_dett.php?id_coll=7&id_lib=176
Indian literature has the same problem. Many inidan writers use english language. It’s ok. We have english books and also italian translation. But indian writers that use different language, like bengali, tamil, gujarati, maharati, are not translated.It is not good ,because sometimes best books are in those languges. Especially bengali.
It is the same for nepali litterature
Good all
Sonia