Future books: A historical novel about Nepal
A young man from England who I recently met sent me this email after reading my book:
Sat, Apr 19, 2014
I very much enjoyed reading your short stories in the Prediction. Most of all I liked the historical ones, the Promise and the Prediction. Rana-era Nepal was vividly realised, the characters seemed very true to the period and to their social station, and the synthesis of traditional Sanskritic forms of belief and practice, such as astrology, with modernity -- as represented by democracy and revolution, intruding on the feudal court-politics of the late Ranas -- made for a highly satisfying parable of Nepal's rites of passage through the twentieth century. It occured to me that I've not come across any other examples of Nepali historical fiction, in English at least, and this would be a very fruitful genre for writers to take up. I would love to see you turn your hand to a historical novel, maybe one that features astrology as a major component, since you seem to know a lot about the subject. Is this something you've considered?
And the answer is:
Glad you liked the historical stories. Interesting that it seems to
appeal to a broad range of readers. Usually I get a male/female split
on my stories (men like some stories, women like some stories) but
these two seem to appeal to a universal group of readers. Yes, maybe I
should write a historical novel! One has been
percolating in my mind-its a family saga/Hundred Years of Solitude style
Nepali novel. Obviously astrology would play a big part.
I was just reading a book on Saturn and realize Western astrologers
and philosophers, quite respectable ones too!, have a lot to say about
the subject. Carl Jung and Mircea Eliade being prominent ones.
(Author's belated addendum: I just realized Gabriel Garcia Marquez died on 17th April. Perhaps his spirit was hovering around when I wrote this email. An homage, either way.)
Sat, Apr 19, 2014
I very much enjoyed reading your short stories in the Prediction. Most of all I liked the historical ones, the Promise and the Prediction. Rana-era Nepal was vividly realised, the characters seemed very true to the period and to their social station, and the synthesis of traditional Sanskritic forms of belief and practice, such as astrology, with modernity -- as represented by democracy and revolution, intruding on the feudal court-politics of the late Ranas -- made for a highly satisfying parable of Nepal's rites of passage through the twentieth century. It occured to me that I've not come across any other examples of Nepali historical fiction, in English at least, and this would be a very fruitful genre for writers to take up. I would love to see you turn your hand to a historical novel, maybe one that features astrology as a major component, since you seem to know a lot about the subject. Is this something you've considered?
And the answer is:
Glad you liked the historical stories. Interesting that it seems to
appeal to a broad range of readers. Usually I get a male/female split
on my stories (men like some stories, women like some stories) but
these two seem to appeal to a universal group of readers. Yes, maybe I
should write a historical novel! One has been
percolating in my mind-its a family saga/Hundred Years of Solitude style
Nepali novel. Obviously astrology would play a big part.
I was just reading a book on Saturn and realize Western astrologers
and philosophers, quite respectable ones too!, have a lot to say about
the subject. Carl Jung and Mircea Eliade being prominent ones.
(Author's belated addendum: I just realized Gabriel Garcia Marquez died on 17th April. Perhaps his spirit was hovering around when I wrote this email. An homage, either way.)
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