KATHMANDU

Ganesh Prasad Lath’s book 'Kshamadaan' is slated for release next week. According to a press statement released by Nepalaya, the novel exfoliates the drama, intrigue and tragedies surrounding the business families of Madhesh. The book is the first release of the year from the Nepalaya 2021 catalogue.

“Madhesh has produced some brilliant writers from Dhanush Chandra Gautam to Bimal Niva, to name a few. Their works have expressed the aesthetics and poetics of Madhesh wonderfully. But as a reader, who happens to be a businessman, I couldn’t locate myself in most of the books published in Nepali,” the writer has been quoted, explaining his inspiration for writing the book. “The businessmen were either completely absent in literature, or thrown in as typecasts when they appeared. I wanted to explore the humane side of those families through my stories.”

Lath came of age in Birgunj, one of the first three municipalities of Nepal, during the years when Nepal was eagerly building infrastructures to stabilize democracy and open-market systems. Lath’s growing up intersected with the upsurge of movie theatres in Birgunj. The cinematic storytelling and its wide appeal impressed Lath greatly. Not surprisingly, the book imbibes similar dramatic techniques, which the author believes will hit familiar notes for those admiring romantic social dramas, the statement reads.

Lath is the second author from Birgunj to be published by Nepalaya. Girish Giri’s eponymous non-fiction Birgunj was published in 2016.

Ganesh Prasad Lath’s 'Kshamadaan' is priced at Rs 495 for the Nepali market. It will be available in all leading bookstores of the nation. The e-book can also be purchased from Thuprai (www.thuprai.com), while it will be available worldwide on Amazon.