Kumar Nagarkoti

Kumar Nagarkoti
कुमार नगरकोटी
Nagarkoti at a programme in Butwal (2019)
Born (1974-12-02) 2 December 1974
Lalitpur, Nepal
Other nameNagarkoti
OccupationsWriter, poet, columnist
Notable workGhatmandu, Kalpa-Grantha, Mistika
StyleSurrealism, Magical realism
SpouseSabitri Karki
Children1

Kumar Nagarkoti (Nepali: कुमार नगरकोटी; born 1974) is a Nepali writer, poet, dramatist, and columnist.[1] His stories are known for their surrealistic elements and eccentric style that often mixes Nepali, English, Hindi, Nepal Bhasa, and other languages.[2]

Biography

Nagarkoti 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, Nikas, at the age of 21. The story was published in Sahakalam Sahitya, a literary paper that only printed works of established writers.[2]

Nagarkoti's first book, Mokshanta: Kathmandu Fever, a collection of short stories, was published in 2011 by Ratna Pustak Bhandar.[5] His second short story collection, Fossil, was published in 2013 by Nepalaya.[5] Fossil won the 2013 Barsha Pustak (Book of the Year) award, awarded by the National Booksellers and Publishers Association of Nepal.[6]

Nagarkoti next published a memoir titled Aksharganj in 2014. The memoir contained 30 essays with various magical realism and surrealistic elements.[7] In 2015, he wrote a play called Coma - A Political Sex, which was staged at Shilpee Theatre and directed by the playwright Ghimire Yubaraj. The play is about a writer who goes into a coma while writing his book, because the constitution is not drafted on time.[8]

His first novel, Mistika was published on 20 August 2015.[9] In 2016, he published a collection of fiction and non-fiction writing titled Ghatmandu, which was shortlisted for the Padmashree Sahitya Puraskar.[10][11]

A second memoir, Docha, was published in 2017. The book was not written in first person narrative as with most memoir but used animals, birds, and inanimate objects as narrators.[12]

In 2018, he made a cameo in the Nepali film Lal Purja.[13] The same year, he also published Gya, a novel, which was shortlisted for the prestigious Madan Puraskar the same year.[14]

In 2019, his second play, Bathtub, was staged at Shilpee Theatre, once again directed by Ghimire Yubaraj. The play starred veteran actor Neer Shah and writers Brajesh Khanal and Bhushita Vasistha.[15]

In 2021, published his tenth book, Kalpa-Grantha. The book is an example of ergodic literature consisting of 63 experimental tales including typographs, postcards, screen plays, etc. The book was produced by Book Hill Publications and only sold to preorders as a limited edition release.[16] A first for Nepali literature and Nepali publication, the book was criticised for its cost and limited release.[17] The book was also shortlisted for Madan Puraskar but lost to Limbuwanko Etihasik Dastavej Sangraha by Bhagi Raj Ingnam.[18][19]

In 2023, Nagarkoti published Jogiyana, another memoir.[20] Jogiyana was shortlisted for the Padmashree Sahitya Puraskar 2080.

Nagarkoti is also a prolific poet who regularly performs his own poetry.[21]

He describes himself as a "fiction designer" rather than a fiction writer.[22]

Notable works

Books

Title Genre Publication date Publisher Note
Mokshanta: Kathmandu Fever Short stories 2011 Ratna Pustak Bhandari (first edition); Book Hill Publications Debut book
Fossil Short stories 2013 Nepalaya Publication (first edition), subsequently Book Hill Publications Winner of Barsha Pustak Award 2013
Aksharganj Memoir 2014 Book Hill Publications
Mistika Novel 2015 Book Hill Publications
Ghatmandu Collected works 2016 Book Hill Publications
Docha Memoir 2017 Book Hill Publications
Gya Novel 2018 Book Hill Publications Shortlisted for Madan Puraskar 2075 BS
Kalpa-Grantha Short stories; ergodic literature 2021 Book Hill Publications Shortlisted for Madan Puraskar 2077 BS
Jogiyana Memoir 2023 Book Hill Publications Shortlisted for Padmashree Sahitya Puraskar 2080 BS

Plays

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

Films

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

Personal life

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

See also

References

  1. ↑ "कुमार नगरकोटी - Nepal Magazine". nepalmag.com.np. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  2. 1 2 "a man for himself : kumar nagarkoti : writer/fiction designer". TNM. Archived from the original on 2022-02-02. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  3. ↑ "समसामयिक नेपाली राजनीतिको प्रतिबिम्ब 'कोमा' नाटक | ताराप्रसाद पोखरेल". www.samakalinsahitya.com. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  4. 1 2 "नगरकोटी अर्थात् एक शून्य". नगरकोटी अर्थात् एक शून्य. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  5. 1 2 Nankhwa, Shreesha (2013-10-30). "Spinning a tale" (PDF). Friday. ECS Media. p. 10. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  6. ↑ "Fossil bags Barsha Pustak 2013". nepalaya.com.np. 2023-09-04. Retrieved 2026-08-03.
  7. ↑ "हिमाल खबरपत्रिका | मदिरा, महिला र मृत्यु". nepalihimal.com. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  8. ↑ "Coma staged again". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  9. ↑ Nasana (2015-08-23). "Nagarkoti reveals his Mistika". The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  10. ↑ "Nargarkoti's Ghatmandu hits shelves". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  11. ↑ "Padmashree shortlist announced". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2026-08-03.
  12. ↑ "I did it my way". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  13. ↑ Mahat, Sunny. "Lal Purja movie review: Eccentric, experimental and mildly entertaining". The Annapurna Express. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  14. ↑ Republica. "Seven books nominated for Madan Puraskar". My City. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  15. ↑ "बाथ–टबमा सिरियल किलर निदाइरहेको थियो". बाथ–टबमा सिरियल किलर निदाइरहेको थियो. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  16. ↑ "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.
  17. ↑ "कल्प-ग्रन्थ : प्रयोग कि विलास !". Himal Khabar. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  18. ↑ "मदन पुरस्कारको श्रेष्ठ सूचीमा नौ पुस्तक". Himal Khabar. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  19. ↑ "२०७७ को मदन पुरस्कार भगिराज इङ्नामलाई". ekantipur.com (in Nepali). Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  20. ↑ "Nagarkoti's 'Jogiyana' released". GorakhaPatra. Retrieved 2026-08-03.
  21. ↑ "नगरकोटियन साँझ, यदाकदा". Online Khabar. Retrieved 2026-08-03.
  22. ↑ "Nagarkoti to make cinematic debut". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
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