English Version of "Karnali Blues" to be published soon

Buddhi Sagar’s debut novel "Karnali Blues" will soon be available in an English edition. Michael Hutt, a well-known professor of Nepali and Himalayan Studies at the School of Oriental And African Studies will translate the book from Nepali. The translated edition will be published by Speaking Tiger Books for South Asian regions like Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Srilanka, Bhutan, and the Maldives.

First published in 2010 by FinePrint publications, “Karnali Blues” was heavily praised for using simple language to render a realistic and powerful plot. Buddhi Sagar considers Paulo Coelho and Haruki Murakami to have inspired him for his novel writing style.

The stories in “Karnali Blues” are heavily based on the author’s own experiences. The story starts with the childhood of the narrator and progresses with his age, while usually revolving around the narrator’s father. Readers get to experience the mischief of the narrator during his childhood days, the struggles of a middle-class family, the livelihood in fast-evolving localities, and the pain of losing close ones.

The author uses a disjointed narrative style by mixing up present events with flashbacks of the past. Local languages like Tharu have also been used to keep the plot faithful to a realistic and semi-autobiographical style.

The book is also considered to have encouraged reading culture among young and old Nepali people with the impact it created without relying on heavy ornamentation and sophisticated language. The English version of the book is also expected to preserve its essence during translation and be equally pleasant for non-Nepali readers.