In the Shadow of Corona
When and Where
Speakers
Description
Toronto Newar Summer School 2023
A reading by Srilaxmi Shrestha from her novel Coronayā Kichalay,” In the Shadow of Corona”
170 St. George St., DSR, JHB 317 • → Zoom link (Passcode 601253)
Coronayā Kichalay is a novel in Nepalbhasa, authored by Srilaxmi Shrestha, published by Kutaḥ Pikāka, Khvapa (Bhaktapur), with Bhāvanā Pithanā, Yem̆̇ (Kathmandu) in Nepal Samvat 1141 (CE 2021). The main story of this novel unfolds the terrified state of mind of a woman affected by Corona. It is the first novel written in any Nepalese language on this topic. The chief character of the novel, Nhasala, describes the awkward situation that the world faced during the pandemic. Nhasala, is a native of Nepal but settled in the Netherlands for her education and employment a long time ago. She has left her motherland with her husband and children, but her husband and her children are away from her when the pandemic Corona hits the world. It is a novel based on the story of a woman who is living an isolated life in a distant land. The readers will encounter the agony of people detached from their native land in this novel. It is the pain of having to live in a foreign country after being separated from own’s beloved motherland, own’s religion, culture, language, etc.
The author will be reading out passages from the novel in Nepalbhasa, followed by translations in English.
Srilaxmi Shrestha teaches Nepalbhasa, and Nepali in Leiden, the Netherlands. She also has been teaching Dutch language to newcomers. She is a well-known Nepalbhasa writer and authored a number of books that include essays, short stories, biographies, and poems. Her recent novel Coronayā Kichalay (“In the Shadow of Corona”) was awarded a prestigious Nepalbhasa prize for women’s novel in 2021. Some of her short stories are translated into English and published as A Cry in the Wilderness and Other Short Stories. In Nepal, she worked as high school teacher and as a journalist. Occasionally, she has contributed to the daily Nepal Bhasa Times, and to literary magazines, such as Nahli, Matina, Thaumkanhay, Thaybhu, etc.