Dhakal releases novel, ‘Jagajjanani Uski Aamako Naam Hoina’

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Feb. 22: Author and former politician Narayan Dhakal has released his sixth novel, ‘Jagajjanani Uski Aamako Naam Hoina’ on Saturday.

The book was launched at Publication Nepalaya’s R-shala in Kalikasthan, where a book was gifted to the writer’s grandson and granddaughter.

During the book launch programme, writer Dhakal shared his five-decade experience in fiction writing. "When I was a teenager, I wrote an espionage novel and submitted it to a publisher. Unfortunately, it was not published. After that, I began studying the works of world-renowned writers crazily," Dhakal recalled, reflecting on his early stages of fiction writing.

He added that the reading habit remains the same as in his initial stage. The habit of reading books in the bus, in the toilet, in college, and at home has gradually awakened the writer within him.

Reflecting on his life, he said, “I started searching for my dream of life in the streets of Jhochhe and other corners of the city, and I became a cadre of the underground Communist Party.”

Dhakal added that unstable life represented by various events and roles, such as student movements, teachers’ movements, prison journeys, journalism, parliamentarians, and the hungry generation, has become his literary sphere.

He also called the novel ‘Jagajjanani Uski Aamako Naam Hoina’ his statement of dream and nightmare against betrayal.

The editor of Nepalaya, Bimal Acharya, noted that this book cannot be forgotten in the history of Nepali literature.

“I found in Narayan Dhakal, a writer who is extremely ruthless towards himself and extremely confident in his writing, a democratic culture of listening to criticism and constantly refining his writing,” Editor Acharya said.

Six novels, seven short-story collections, three essay collections, two children’s story collections, and one poetry collection have been published under the name Dhakal in the literary market.

The 286-page book is priced at Rs. 675. Readers around the world can purchase the book from bookstores across the country and from many online stores (such as Amazon.com) and other online stores, according to the Nepalaya Publication.