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In memory of Mandela: my story in a South Africa journal

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 Issue 6 of I I was moved to see all the Mandela memorial events this week. And it reminded me that I'd had a story published in ITCH, a South African journal, in 2010. So, in his memory and with South Africa on my mind, here's my story  titled "The Promised Land." http://www.itch.co.za/writing/the-promised-land

Brown University's Office of International Advancement notes third edition of my book

I get a small note in my alma mater's website  regarding the third edition of my book "The End of the World."

Muncha.com now delivers "The End of the World"

If you'd like to get my book outside of Kathmandu (in Biratnagar, Dharan and four other locations), please order through Muncha.com.

Twentieth issue of 'Of Nepalese Clay' launched

PAN Asia: Promoting literature and art, defending freedom of expression  The twentieth issue of the literary publication 'Of Nepalese Clay' was launched amid a special event on 30 th  November 2013 at the premises of IACER, Old Baneshwor, Kathmandu. It was  released jointly by Professor Dr. Mohan Lohani, Professor Dr. Padma Devkota, and Professor Dr. Amma Raj Joshi. This issue of the bi-annual literary publication of the Society of Nepali Writers in English (NWEN) contains a collection of poems, short fiction, essays, criticisms and memoirs by noted authors from Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Slovenia, Australia, Haiti and USA. With this issue, 'Of Nepalese Clay' marks its thirteenth year of publication. The first issue of the publication was launched in April 2001 and has included significant literary creations over the years, thus becoming one of the longest-standing English literary publications in the country. Along with the r

Book review of "The End of the World" in Kitaab.org

My book "The End of the World" reviewed in Kitaab, a portal of literature. An excerpt from the review: Another recurring theme is something that cannot be avoided in present-day Nepal: the ten-year Maoist insurgency from 1996-2006, that claimed the lives of thousands of people, particularly in the countryside, and that ultimately contributed to the abolition of Nepal’s monarchy in 2008. The titular story is one of the shortest, and gets to the heart of peoples’ dreams and desires, what they would do if they actually thought the world was ending.

The Prediction: Watch out for it in the bookstores!

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My book The Prediction will be out in two weeks in Nepal. Watch out for it in the bookstores. Here's a sneak-peek of the cover!

Kitaab review: Hotel Calcutta

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I just reviewed "Hotel Calcutta" . Read the review on the book portal Kitaab. You can visit Kitaab here: www.kitaab.org

Third Edition of "The End of the World"

Hi readers! Just wanted to let you know the third edition of "The End of the World" is now available in Kathmandu. Tibet BookHouse, which is a two minute walk away from Himalayan Java Coffee Shop in Thamel, has copies. Its on the same side of the street, going down towards Thamel Chowk. Do get a copy when you go to get your coffee! Thanks for all your support!

Loterii: Sushma Joshi – The End Of The World (The Mammoth Book of Apocalyptic SF, 2010)

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  Näide nepaali ulmest ehk siis lugu sellest, kuidas lihtsad nepaallased saavad korraga kaljukindlalt teada, et maailmalõpp saabub homme kell 11. Seda räägitakse televisiooniski. Kui nii, siis nii. Midagi uut siin maailmas, ja kui lõpp käes, siis võib eelnevalt kõhu korralikult heast-paremast täis süüa ja järgmisel päeval tööle või kooli mitte minna. Mis maailmalõpu põhjustab, ei osatagi täpselt öelda, on see siis täistabamuse saanud Jupiteri plahvatuse tagajärjel Maad tabav kosmoseprügi, või siis tegi Nepaali president midagi valesti ja häbistas pöördumatult nepaallasi. Kes teab. Igal juhul, täis kõhuga on mõnusam lõppu kogeda. Ja sellele vastu vaielda ei saa ega oska. No pole just kivikõva lugu ja ulmeline element pole ehk eesmärk omaette rahvusliku koloriidi kõrval, ent samas päris humoorikas pilguheit sealsesse külaühiskonda ja olupoliitilistesse reaaliatesse. Click here for Loterii: http://loterii.blogspot.com/2013/08/sushma-joshi-end-of-world-mammoth-book.html

The Lotus Singers, edited by Trevor Carolan: Review by Dani Torres

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Dani Torres reviews "The Lotus Singers" and my short story "Law and Order": "In "Law and Order" Bishnu looks out of his window overlooking a garden which is filled with earthly delights.  Literally.  After a failed attempt, and the loss of both his front teeth, at joining the British Gurkha Army (a job which would have offered him both distinction and security), he becomes a policeman in the small community of Naxal.  The recruits are given small living quarters called cells but not very generous helpings at mealtime.  As a matter of fact there are only three ways to supplement their food rations: stealing from the officers' mess, intimidating shopkeepers or hoping your family will send food from home.  Bishnu begins dreaming of food and of the beautiful daughters who live in the house below, combining the vegetables in the garden with the women in the house in rather fanciful combinations.  If only there wasn't a wall keeping h

"End of the World" in Chinese: 世界末日

And in case you really feel like reading my story in simplified Chinese , here's the link. I have been assured on good authority that this is a good translation.   _______________________ Since websites have a way of closing down, I decided to cut and paste the Chinese text here as well. With thanks to the translator at yeeyan.org! 世界末日 有一天,人人都在议论一件事,一个伟大博学的大萨杜(哲人)预言:一场毁灭性的自然灾难即将降临地球,全球人口半数以上的将在这场灾难---一场突如其来的大火---中丧生。这则消息甚至刊登在了报纸上。迪勒正在前往施工工地的途中,他听到一个人大肆宣扬药草对阳萎的疗效,便停下脚步。他侧目一看,发现成群结队的山羊正被赶往绿茵地上汇集。便问道:“这是怎么回事?”。人们告诉他:“大家都在买肉,以便大难临头之前美美地大吃一顿。” 迪勒,裹挟在这个为世界的末日做准备的大潮中,也走进商店买了一公斤羊肉。在回家的路上,他顺便走进戈帕尔.科特的商店,店里所有的人都盯着他手里的报纸包裹的羊肉看,包裹已经被血水浸透了。 “有什么大喜事,戴?你在提前庆祝今年的德赛节?”他们调侃道。于是,迪勒告诉他们人们是如何排队买羊肉的, 杜迪格尔城里的屠夫们的生意有多么兴隆。人们想抓住最后的机会热闹一番,于是所有的人都决定买一些肉,准备享受临死前的最后一餐。 萨努坎卡在一条小巷深处开了一家牛奶店。他说,他那一大家子116人,全部准备呆在家里,以便第二天早上升起七颗太阳把地球烤成一片焦土的时候,所有的人都能死在一起。比卡萨,在迪斯尼英语学校找到工作后,便从一个阿瓦拉浪子变成了认真负责的年轻老师。据他说,有许多孩子要求世界末日那天停课离校,最后学校不得不宣布全校放假。古帕尔布科特在机场工作的姐姐告诉他,尼泊尔皇家航空公司所有的座位均被预订一空,人们希望逃脱世界末日那天的灾难。 那天晚上, 迪勒手中拿着用萨尔叶包裹的那一

Reading of "Cheese" in Podomatic: Do listen!

Dear readers! Here's a reading of "Cheese" in Podomatic which I did a few years ago. I hope you enjoy it!

First Division, by Sushma Joshi

FIRST DIVISION SUSHMA JOSHI The small servant quarters behind the Colonel’s house where Mahesh spent his first night in Kathmandu would be his home for the next nine years. Life took on a well-known routine from his first morning. From six am to ten am, Mahesh attended the Nandi Ratri School. In the afternoons and evenings, he  shopped for food, gardened, and ran errands. He planted a vegetable garden. He repaired the water pipes when they broke. He took clothes to the drycleaners. He knocked on the doors of the Colonel’s relatives to deliver red and gold invitation cards to marriage and rice-eating ceremonies. A few months later, he learnt to drive the car, and could then he seen around town, driving the red Toyota. He had no time to complain about the hard work he had to do—each morning at dawn, he sat down and forced himself to practice mathematics. Before long, Mahesh’s humor endeared him to the household. The Colonel’s two daughters demanded he accompany them on every

The Prediction, by Sushma Joshi

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Read my story "The Prediction," about an astrologer's prediction about the last days of the Rana regime of Nepal.This story is to be published in the journal Himalaya in November 2013, published out of Yale University. This story is based on a small snippet of an anecdote told to me by my father--who does not believe in astrology, but was goaded into sharing this historical story with me after I pestered him with miraculous stories of astrological predictions which had come true, in my own experience. Our family of Joshis ("Jyotish" means astrologer) were astrologers in the Royal Court of Nepal. This tradition was discontinued in my grandfather's generation. The young astrologer in this story, however, is not from our family. He is thought to have come from outside Kathmandu. The astrologer was a pleasant young man, with worn down cloth shoes and a dust-coloured set of clothes. Mohan Shamsher was surprised. He had expected someone older, someone mor

Martin Chautari review: The End of the World

Here's a detailed review of my book from James Sharrock, in Martin Chautari's Studies in Nepali History and Society.   Book Reviews Sushma Joshi. 2008. The End of the World: A Collection of Short Stories. Kathmandu: FinePrint Books. The End of the World is an impressive collection of eight short stories in English by the Kathmandu-based columnist, artist, blogger and filmmaker Sushma Joshi. A fresh and outward-looking literary sensibility has been brought to bear on the recent past and present lives of Nepalis. The book includes details on foreign-returned Nepalis, households in Kathmandu, lahure lives abroad, village politics, natural disasters, and the Nepal Police. Nearly all of the stories are set within the last fifteen to twenty years with the notable exceptions of “Match-Making” and “Cheese” making the book, additionally, something of an artistic first draft on the recent Nepali past. The stories map the limited choices facing a range of Nepalis in different periods o

Received & Recommended by MANOA: A PACIFIC JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL WRITING

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The Lotus Singers: Short Stories from Contemporary South Asia The Lotus Singers: Short Stories from Contemporary South Asia  is a collection of contemporary short stories by South Asia’s most renowned authors.  With writers from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, this anthology gives readers a glimpse into the complexities of a region so diverse in both landscape and people through the exploration of themes such as social upheaval, gender inequality, economic and spiritual struggle, and challenges to cultural orthodoxy. The anthology includes biographical sketches of each author, a thoughtful introduction to contemporary South Asian fiction by the editor, and a preface by renowned Indian scholar and activist Urvashi Butalia (Publisher’s Description).