Guru Prasad Mainali

Guru Prasad Mainali (Nepali: गुरुप्रसाद मैनाली) (1900–1971) was a Nepali short story writer.[1] Mainali is the pioneer and one of the well-known short story writers of Nepali literature. He is famous for his short story anthology 'Naaso'.

Guru Prasad Mainali
गुरुप्रसाद मैनाली
Born1957 BS Bhadra 23
Kanpur, Kavrepalanchok, Nepal
Died2028 BS
Occupationshort story writer, civil service
NationalityNepalese

Early life

Mainali was born in a middle class Brahmin family in Kanpur, Kavrepalanchok. He was a son of Kashi Nath Mainali and Kashi Rupa Devi Mainali. He joined a government job for his living.[2]

Career

Mainali's works contributed to the development of Nepali short stories.[1] Altogether, Mainali wrote only eleven short stories, but his knowledge of the Nepalese society made him an excellent describer of the life in the country side. His stories alone possessed all the qualities of modern short stories during his time.[2] He started writing stories to publish in a literary magazine, 'Sharada (Devnagari: शारदा)'. His first story was 'Naso' (The Ward). Most of his stories were published in the period between 1935 and 1938.[2] Strongly influenced by Prem Chand, the famous Hindi fiction writer, Mainali intimately dealt with his characters from rural Nepal. Due to his contact with different kinds of people in different parts of the country as a judge transferred from one district court to the other, Mainali had ample opportunity to study the human character in various situations at close quarters. His description of the sad plight of the common people in Nepal due to constraints imposed upon individuals by traditional values and beliefs made in his stories remains unmatched even today. He is arguably the first modern short story writer of Nepal. Some of his unforgettable short stories are 'Naso' (The Ward), 'Paralko Aago' (A Blaze in the Straw), 'Shaheed' (The Martyr) and 'Chhimeki' (Neighbors). Naso is also the title of his anthology. Some of his stories are included in text books of primary school and secondary schools in Nepal.

'Naso' and 'Paralko Aago' are available in English versions. The former was translated as 'The Ward' by Theodore Riccardi in 1964[3] and the later was translated as 'A Blaze in the Straw' by Michael Hutt in 1991.[4]

Works
  • 'Naso' (नासो, The Ward)
  • 'Paralko Aago' (परालको आगो, A Blaze in the Straw), filmed as Paral Ko Aago in 1978.
  • 'Abhagi' (अभागी, The Unfortunate)
  • 'Shaheed' (शहीद, The Martyr)
  • 'Chhimeki' (छिमेकी, Neighbors)
  • 'Kartabya' (कर्तव्य, Duty)
  • 'Bida' (बिदा, The Farewell)
  • 'Prayaschit' (प्रायश्चित, Regret)
  • 'Pratyagaman' (प्रत्यागमन, Return)
  • 'Paapko Parinam' (पापको परिणाम, Result of Sin)
  • 'Chita ko Jwala' (चिताको ज्वाला, Pyre Blaze)
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References
  1. Michael James Hutt (1991). "Guruprasād Mainālī (1900-1971)". Himalayan Voices: An Introduction to Modern Nepali Literature. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 189. ISBN 978-81-208-1156-0 – via Project MUSE.
  2. Lamsal, Yuba Nath (10 September 2009). "Guru Prasad Mainali: Pioneer Story Writer". Gorkhapatra. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  3. Riccardi, Theodore (1964). "The Ward". Four Nepali Short Stories. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania. pp. 6–13.
  4. Hutt, Michael (1991). Himalayan voices: an introduction to modern Nepali literature. USA: University of California Press. pp. 178–185. ISBN 978-0-520-07048-6.
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