The Tutor of History

By Manjushree Thapa

Book Overview

It is the late 1990s, a few years into constitutional democracy in Nepal, and the government has collapsed. In Khaireni Tar, a small town on the Kathmandu-Pokhara highway, four separate lives come together during the campaign for fresh elections: Rishi Parajuli, a disillusioned communist who gives private tuitions in history; Giridhar Adhikari, an alcoholic who is the chairman of the Peoples Partys district committee; Om Gurung, a large-hearted former British Gurkha; and Binita Dahal, a reclusive young widow who runs a tea stall near the towns only bus stop. As the elections approach, and the crises in their lives mount, they must choose not only for their country, but also for their own individual futures.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9382277021
• ISBN13: 9789382277026
• Release Date: November 2012
• Publisher: Aleph Book Company
• Length: 472 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Thoughtful and engaging, well worth reading.

Ms. Thapa's novel follows the lives of a variety of characters in the lead-up to local and national elections in a small town in central Nepal. She drwas the reader in by illuminating the interior dramas of many characters, each of whom is engaged in conflict with various societal issues, whether they be gender based, substance abuse, personal philosophy, economic or other. Having spent a good amount of time in Nepa, I was able to recognize the town, the peoples, the physical lay-out, and other atmospheric elements that Ms. Thapa beautifully evokes. Om, the Gurung landowner, Binita, a young widower, various Bahuns trying to uphold what they see as their endangered status, and many others are recognizable individuals that illustrate the complex ethnic and cultural mix of this Himalayan country. She has a special knack for evoking the hard life that many women endure in village life: limited opportunities, limited dreams, and often long, drawn out sad endings. The build up to the election is very well orchestrated, with suitable tension among the different factions battling it out. Her language is not overly ornate, but rather suitably simple in that it accurately reflects her characters. When needed, when warranted, her writing reveals deep and compicated thought on her characters parts. And she is equally adept at bringing in the ever changing environment - the changing rythms of agriculture, of nature, the hot and dusty towns, the constant traffic on the Kathmandu-Pokhara highway, the day and the night. Well worth reading, as is her other book "Forget Kathmandu: an Elegy for Democracy." If you want to understand contemporary Nepal, then you should start with Ms. Thapa's works.