Benyonne Schwortz, bschwortz@gmail.com
Bayside High School, http://www.baysidehighschool.org
Modern Writers of Nepal
namaste. नमस्त
Appendix A5:
Literary History of Nepal
History
Nepal Bhasa has a long history as regards literature. It has the fourth-oldest literature of the Sino-Tibetan languages (the first, second and third being Chinese, Tibetan and Burmese respectively).
Nepal Bhasa literature can be divided into the following phases[1]
- Ancient Era (N.S.625-N.S.967)
- Medieval Era (N.S.967-N.S.1029)
- Renaissance Era (N.S.1029-N.S.1061)
- Modern Era (N.S.1061-onwards)
- Drama
Dramas are traditionally performed in open Dabu (stage). Most of the traditional dramas are related to deities and demons. Masked characters are central to such dramas. Music forms an important part of drama. Most of them are narrated with the help of songs sang at intervals. The drama as such resembles dance in many cases. The theme of most of the drama is to create a social wellbeing with morals illustrating the rise, turbulence and fall of evil. There are fixed dates in the Nepal Sambat (Nepal Era) calendar for performance of specific drama. Most of the dramas are carried out by specific Guthis. - Poetry
Poetry writing constituted a pompous part of medieval Malla aristrocracy. Many of the kings were well renowned poets. Siddhidas Mahaju and Chittadhar Hridaya are two great poets in the language.
Prose Fiction
Story
The art of verbal story telling is very old in Nepal Bhasa. There are a variety of mythical and social stories that have aided in establishing the norm of Kathmandu valley. Stories ranging from the origin of Kathmandu valley to the temples of the valley and the important monuments have been passed down verbally in Nepal Bhasa. Very few of them were in written form initially. Howvever, with an increase in literacy rate and an awareness amongst the people, those stories have been penned down. Stories on other topics have also taken root.
Novel
Restriction of the knowledge of alphabets to a certain caste of society during medieval era reduced the viability of leisure reading amongst masses. However, with the progressive increase in literacy after the modernization of Nepal, novel writing has increased.
Other Prose Literature
History
History literature in Nepal Bhasa dates back from Malla era. During that era, stone inscriptions were placed in important places to commemorate important events. Mention of family lines of the person instilling the inscription is also found in many cases.
Philosophy
Siddhidas Mahaju had written several philosophies related to the norms of society.
Law
Legal literature formulated during the reign of Jayastithi Malla formulated a major part of the norm of Newar society.
Journalism
Development in the field of journalism started rather late compared to the west. However, several newspapers are printed in this language now a days. Some of them are Sandhya Times, Desye Madu Jhyaa, Newa Post, Page 3 etc. According to the record of Government of Nepal, 20 newspapers are published in Nepal in Nepal Bhasa.
References: The History of Nepal Bhasa Literature, Author:Premshanti Tuladhar, Section 2, Nepalbhasa Academy Publication, ISBN 99933, 560-0
Source: http://www.en.wikipedia.org
Nepali Literature (Nepali: नेपाली साहित्य) refers to literature written in the Nepali language. It is not necessarily written by Nepali nationals nor all the literature written in Nepal, because it is widely used in some parts of India and Bhutan. In fact the official language of Indian state of Sikkim is Nepali. There are many prominent writers of Nepali literature from other countries, especially from India like Parijat. Also there is a diversity of languages spoken in Nepal like Maithali, Bhojpuri, Nepal Bhasa etc.
The Nepali language evolved from Sanskrit and it is difficult to state the ancient history of Nepali literature because most scholars wrote in Sanskrit, especially religious literature. However Nepali literature can be roughly divided into five periods.
Pre-Bhanubhakta Era
Nepali literature certainly existed in oral and folklore forms for hundreds of years. There exists no evidence of a published literary work in Nepali language before Bhanubhakta, however.
Bhanubhakta Era
Most, if not all, Nepali language speakers honor Bhanubhakta as the "ADIKAVI" (literally meaning 'first poet') of the Nepali language. Bhanubhakta's single most important contribution to Nepali literature is probably his translation of the holy Ramayana into Nepali language. Bhanubhakta wrote the Ramayana in metric form, using meters used in Sanskrit.
Bhanubhakta wrote original poems on diverse subjects ranging from family morals advocacy to satire of bureaucratic red tape and poor conditions of prisoners.
Motiram Era
Motiram Bhatta is the figure who revived the legacy of Bhanubhakta and publicized the contributions of the latter. Motiram played such a fundamental role in the legacy of Bhanubhakta that some allege that Bhanubhakta was just a fabrication of Motiram's mind.
Pre-Revolution Era
A very prolific time despite lack of freedom of expression, independent magazine "Sharada" was the only print medium available for the publication of Nepali literature. Short stories had Laxmi Prasad Devkota, Guru Prasad Mainali, and Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala as the recognized trident force. But this was one of the most significant periods for literature development. "Muna Madan" by [[Laxmi Prasad Devkota]] shows the life of a man who leaves his wife and goes abroad to make money and while returning he dies. It also shows the life of a poor woman who suffered much without her husband. [[Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala]] introduced psychology in literature. His literary works are "Teen Ghumti", "Doshi Chasma", "Narendra Dai",etc.
Nepal Literature
Nepal is known for its great diversity of people, from the many languages spoken to the variety of ethnic groups. This great array of backgrounds has contributed much to the development of literature in Nepal. From poetry to short stories, from essays to novels, Nepal has produced an abundance of literary figures and works worthy of note. Nepal's literature has been written in a variety of local languages, the most popular being Nepali literature, followed by Nepal Bhasa literature. Let us have a closer look at the history of literature in Nepal.
The Nepali language has its grounding in Sanskrit and has developed over many years into a widely spoken local language. The oldest Nepali literary work that has been discovered is a book by an unknown author entitled 'Khanda Khadya' dating back to 1642 B.S.* 'Jwarup Pati Chikitsha' of 1773 B.S. By Bani Bilas Jyotirbid and translated by Prem Nidhi Pant is the oldest Nepali book with a known author. Those who have made a study of Nepali Literature have seen fit to divide its history into 5 eras:
Before Bhanu Bhakta Era (from the beginning up to 1871 B.S.)
Bhanu Bhakta Era (from 1872 through to 1936 B.S.)
Moti Ram Era (from 1940 to 1976 B.S.)
Before Revolution Era (from 1977 through 2007 B.S.)
After Revolution Era (from 2007 B.S. to the present)
Before Bhanu Bhakta Era
The majority of literature in this era was written in poetry form. Shuwananda Das, a Newar, played a major role in Nepal's literature during the era, composing mostly poetry. His poetry was unique in that he made use of lyrical folk songs. His poetry often related to the king and various victorious events. Prithivi Narayan Shah, the author of 'Divya Upedesh', never wrote works in his own hand but his thoughts and advice was penned for him. His works are said to provide excellent instruction even appropriate for today. Shakti Ballav Arjjyal was a writer and scholar of this period also serving as a royal priest.
Bhanu Bhakta Era
Bhanu Bhakta Aacharya, after whom this era is named, is considered a legend of Nepali literature having exerted a great influence on the writings of Nepal. Born in Ramgha, Bhanu Bhakta was taken to Kasi by his grandfather where he could study further. Many writers of this particular age based their works on mythology, largely giving up on politics. Yadu Nath Pokhrel was the exception. Being a great Nepalese patriot much of his work revolved around the army. He is likely the first poet in Nepal to make use of English words.
From this era onward a variety of styles and mediums for literature in Nepal were introduced. Today, Nepalese authors continue to produce outstanding literary works, some translated into other languages and read by people around the world.
Source: http://www.en.wikipedia.org