Belgian resident and story writer Pancham Adhikari’s short story collection “Pravasi Ko Desh Hunna” (A Migrant’s Land is Not a Country) has been published.
This collection includes 14 stories woven in the settings of both home and abroad. Written within the European context, some stories in this collection depict nostalgia for the motherland, memories of youthful days, multiculturalism, and global brotherhood.
The collection includes a range of stories such as the “Sano Secret” (Small Secret) kept by a Nepali child raised in America when they return to Nepal, the desire of middle-aged beautician “Neha” from New York to have a child, the “Local Hero” high school icon, “Fatal Attraction” involving love and breakup with a gangster, the realization at Kathmandu airport that “A Migrant’s Land is Not a Country,” sexual exploitation of women in foreign lands in “Timro Logne Khai?” (Where is Your Husband?), the mistress who tells tales of kings in “Picasso Keti” (Picasso Girl), the end of a promising talent in “Yo Barbadi” (This Ruin), self-discovery in love in “Epicenter Palungtar,” an erotic story in “Timri Swasni” (Your Wife), and the hypocritical life in “Idiot.”
Contrary to the traditional tendencies of Nepali fiction, Adhikari’s stories are found to be written in a comprehensible style using elements of magical realism, surrealism, and metafiction. This work attempts to showcase a new dimension in storytelling by delving into human dilemmas and sensitivities within a society heavily influenced by pop culture and media.
Previously, Adhikari had published the novel “Pathik Pravashan.”
Published by Shikha Books, “Pravasi Ko Desh Hunna” is primarily distributed by Gyanjyoti Bookstore, Adwait Marg, Kathmandu. The price of the book is set at NPR 425 in Nepal and seven Euros or dollars abroad.
