Kumar Nagarkoti (Nepali: कुमार नगरकोटी; born 1974) is a Nepali writer, poet, and columnist.[1] 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.[2]

Kumar Nagarkoti
कुमार नगरकोटी
Nagarkoti at a programme in Butwal (2019)
Born (1974-12-02) 2 December 1974 (age 49)
NationalityNepali
Other namesNagarkoti
Occupation(s)Writer, poet, columnist
Notable workGhatmandu, Kalpa-Grantha, Mistika
StyleSurrealism, Magical realism
SpouseSabitri Karki
Children1

Biography

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He was born on 2 December 1974 (17 Mangsir 2031 BS) in Lalitpur, Nepal.[3]

He began his literary career in 1999 with an English poem titled Sorry Buddha, I Cannot Follow You.[4] He published his first story, Nikash at the age of 21. The story was published in Sahakalam Sahitya, a literary paper that only printed works of established writers.[2]

His first book, Mokshanta: Kathmandu Fever, a collection of short stories was published in 2011.[5] His second short story collection, Fossil was published in 2013.[5] He published a memoir titled Aksharganj in 2014. The memoir has 30 essays and contains various magical realism elements.[6] In 2015, he wrote a play called Coma—A Political Sex. It was staged in Shilpee theatre and was directed by Yubraj Ghimire. The play is about a writer who goes into a coma while writing his book, because the constitution is not drafted on time.[7]

His first novel, Mistika was published on 20 August 2015.[8] On 2 October 2016, he published a collection of his fiction and non-fiction writings titled Ghatmandu.[9] He published Docha, his memoir in 2017. The book was not written in first person narrative as with most memoir but used birds and inanimate objects as a narrator.[10]

In 2018, he made a cameo in Lal Purja, a Nepali film.[11] He also published Gya, a novel in the same year. He took 3 years to complete the book. The book was unveiled by Saguna Shah, a writer and founder of Bookaholics group, a Facebook readers group.[12] The novel was shortlisted for the prestigious Madan Puraskar for the same year.[13]

He wrote Bath-tub, a play in 2019. The play was staged in Shilpee theatre, directed by Yubaraj Ghimire and starred actor Neer Shah, writer Bhusita Vasistha and Brajesh.[14]

He published his tenth book, Kalpa-Grantha on 27 March 2021. The book consisted of 63 experimental tales including typographs, postcards, screen plays, etc. The book was only sold to the preorders in a limited edition release.[15] Many people criticise the hefty cost of the book and the limited release.[16] The book was also shortlisted for Madan Puraskar but lost to Limbuwanko Etihasik Dastavej Sangraha by Bhagi Raj Ingnam.[17][18]

He is also a columnist at Shilapatra online news portal. He describes himself as a fiction designer rather than fiction writer.[19]

Notable works

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Books

Title Genre Publication date Note
Mokshanta: Kathmandu Fever Short stories 2011 Debut book
Fossil Short stories 2013
Aksharganj Memoir 2014
Mistika Novel 20 August 2015
Ghatmandu Collection of fiction and non-fiction works 2 October 2016
Docha Memoir 2017
Gya Novel 31 May 2018 Shortlisted for Madan Puraskar 2075 BS
Kalpa-Grantha Collection of short stories 27 March 2021 Shortlisted for Madan Puraskar 2077 BS

Plays

Title Publication date Role Director
Coma—A Political Sex 2015 Playwright Yubaraj Ghimire
Bath-tub 2019 Playwright Yubaraj Ghimire

Films

Title Release date Role Character Director
Lal Purja 2018 Actor Sadhu (a mystic) Nigam Shrestha

Personal life

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He is married to Sabitri Karki. They currently reside in Balkumari, Lalitpur with their son (Grishmil Nagarkoti). [4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "कुमार नगरकोटी - Nepal Magazine". nepalmag.com.np. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  2. ^ a b "a man for himself : kumar nagarkoti : writer/fiction designer". TNM. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  3. ^ "समसामयिक नेपाली राजनीतिको प्रतिबिम्ब 'कोमा' नाटक | ताराप्रसाद पोखरेल". www.samakalinsahitya.com. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  4. ^ a b "नगरकोटी अर्थात् एक शून्य". नगरकोटी अर्थात् एक शून्य. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  5. ^ a b Nankhwa, Shreesha (2013-10-30). "Spinning a tale" (PDF). Friday. ECS Media. p. 10. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  6. ^ "हिमाल खबरपत्रिका | मदिरा, महिला र मृत्यु". nepalihimal.com. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  7. ^ "Coma staged again". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  8. ^ Nasana (2015-08-23). "Nagarkoti reveals his Mistika". The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  9. ^ "Nargarkoti's Ghatmandu hits shelves". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  10. ^ "I did it my way". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  11. ^ Mahat, Sunny. "Lal Purja movie review: Eccentric, experimental and mildly entertaining". The Annapurna Express. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  12. ^ Setopati, सेतोपाटी संवाददाता. "नगरकोटीको उपन्यासीका 'ज्ञ' लोकार्पण". Setopati (in Hindi). Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  13. ^ Republica. "Seven books nominated for Madan Puraskar". My City. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  14. ^ "बाथ–टबमा सिरियल किलर निदाइरहेको थियो". बाथ–टबमा सिरियल किलर निदाइरहेको थियो. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  15. ^ "What publisher and writer have to say on Nepal's first case of printing book for pre-orderers only - OnlineKhabar English News". english.onlinekhabar.com. 25 November 2020. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  16. ^ "कल्प-ग्रन्थ : प्रयोग कि विलास !". Himal Khabar. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  17. ^ "मदन पुरस्कारको श्रेष्ठ सूचीमा नौ पुस्तक". Himal Khabar. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  18. ^ "२०७७ को मदन पुरस्कार भगिराज इङ्नामलाई". ekantipur.com (in Nepali). Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  19. ^ "Nagarkoti to make cinematic debut". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2022-02-02.