A teacher by profession, he has been contributing to various literary publications, including ‘Koseli’ and ‘Samakalin Sahitya.’
But first and foremost a reader, Nagarkoti also professes love for poetry, his connection to works of history and philosophy, and dislike for biographies. [break]
Republica sat down with the writer to talk about his work.
What kind of stories does your new book have? And in what way is it different from your first book?
“Fossil” is a collection of eight stories of varying lengths; some end in five pages while one goes up to 98 pages. There’s no tradition of writing such long short stories here and I prefer to write on broad canvases. Even though I always base my stories on fantasy, the stories in Fossil have social contexts. The first book made demands of intellectual readers, those who know world literature and art; through my second work, I want to make the book more accessible to my readers.
Fantasy and experimental writing aren’t exactly synonymous in Nepali literature. Do you hope to get a fair share of readers despite this?
I write with my readers in mind. I don’t believe in walking the path that’s everyone’s been on, and I think that we should create something new for our readers. The readership for the Japanese writer Haruki Murakami’s books is phenomenal and he presents his readers different kinds of perspectives. It’s time for Nepali literature to attempt to do so, too. Today’s generation is very well read and they read stories from all corners of the world. They, I hope, will be my readership base.
What about criticisms? How do you deal with them?
To be honest, criticisms and compliments are both momentary and I don’t put any great value on either. Everyone’s entitled to his opinion and he’s welcome to say what he thinks.
Who are some of your favorite Nepali writers?
I’ve read and admired the works of Shankar Lamichhane, Buddhisagar, Nayan Raj Pandey, Anbika Giri, Rajan Mukarung, and Amar Neupane.
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