Abhi Subedi ( ne, अभि सुवेदी) is a Nepali
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...
,
playwright
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
,
linguist
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...
, columnist, translator and critic, who writes in
Nepali and
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
.
Biography
Abhi Subedi was born in Sabla village of Tehrathum district in eastern Nepal. He was the 21st child of his father and the 7th child of his mother. He recognized
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
letters before
Devnagari
Devanagari ( ; , , Sanskrit pronunciation: ), also called Nagari (),Kathleen Kuiper (2010), The Culture of India, New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, , page 83 is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental writing system), based on the a ...
scripts after seeing his mother read Bengali epic
Kashiram Das
Kashiram Das or Kāśīrām Dās ( bn, কাশীরাম দাস, ; born 16th century) is an important poet in medieval Bengali literature. His Bengali re-telling of the '' Mahābhārata'', known as ''Kāśīdāsī Môhābhārôt'', is a ...
's
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...
.
Education
Abhi Subedi was offered a British Council scholarship to the University of Edinburgh in 1978 and completed his post-graduate degree. He wrote about his struggle for education viz a viz the Thatcher government's cut on foreign scholarships and grants and the bureaucratic malice of his university back home.
He earned a
Ph.D
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...
on the pragmatics of poetry from
Tribhuvan University
Tribhuvan University (TU; ne, त्रिभुवन विश्वविद्यालय) is a public university located in Kirtipur, Kathmandu. Established in 1959, TU is the oldest university in Nepal. In terms of enrollment, it is t ...
, Kirtipur and did postgraduate work in
stylistics and applied linguistics at the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
.
Career
Subedi started as a teacher of English at
Tribhuvan University
Tribhuvan University (TU; ne, त्रिभुवन विश्वविद्यालय) is a public university located in Kirtipur, Kathmandu. Established in 1959, TU is the oldest university in Nepal. In terms of enrollment, it is t ...
and after returning from Europe taught stylistics there. He taught for 40years at the Central Department of English in
Tribhuvan University
Tribhuvan University (TU; ne, त्रिभुवन विश्वविद्यालय) is a public university located in Kirtipur, Kathmandu. Established in 1959, TU is the oldest university in Nepal. In terms of enrollment, it is t ...
, and headed the department for more than a decade. Subedi is vice-President of the Nepali Folklore Society of Nepal. He is the founding former President of the
International Theatre Institute
The International Theatre Institute ITI is the world’s largest performing arts organisation, founded in 1948 by theatre and dance experts and UNESCO.
It has hosted various events through its history, including the Theatre of Nations, an intern ...
(ITI) UNESCO from 2000 to 2008 and member of International Playwright's Forum from 2000 to 2011. Subedi became President (1990-1992) and two times General Secretary of the Linguistic Society of Nepal. He was also President of the Literary Association of Nepal. He is a member of the International Association of Theatre Critics. He has been involved in a number of interdisciplinary study groups and is a prolific writer on issues of freedom, culture, literature, arts and social transformation. His essays and seminar papers have been published in Nepal and abroad.
Works
Subedi has published over two dozen books on different subjects. Several of his plays have been performed by well-known theatre groups in Nepal and abroad.
Books in Nepali
*''Flaneurko Diary'' (2015/2071)
*''Sahitya ra Aambritta (''Criticism) 2013/2070)
*''Chiriyeka Sanjhharu'' (play) 2011
*''Nibandhama Uttarbarti Kaalkhanda'' (essays) 2009
*''Teen Natak'' (three plays) 2008
*''Nibandha ra Tundikhel'', 2008
*''Paanch Natak'' (five plays) 2004
*''Carpettangieko Aakaas'' (essays) 1998
*''Shavda ra Chot'' (poems), 1997
*''Madhyam ra Rachana'' (literary criticism), 1997
*''Paschatya Kavy Siddhanta'', (Western criticism) 1973
*''Sirjana ra Mulyankan'' (literary criticism),1982
Books in English
*''Bruised Evenings'' 2011 (play)
*''Nepali Theatre as I See It'', 2007
*''Three Plays.'' Trans Sangita Rayamajhi, 2003
*''Dreams of Peach Blossoms'', 2001, 2012 (play)
*''Ekai Kawaguchi: the Trespassing Insider'', 1999
*''Chasing Dreams: Kathmandu Odyssey'', (poetic play)
*''Nepali Literature: Background and History,'' 1978
*''Manas'' (English poems), joint collection with
Peter J. Karthak
Peter John Karthak (12 December 1943—16 April 2020) was a Nepalese writer, musician and journalist. He wrote two novels, several poems and short stories and edited and wrote for multiple newspapers in his life. He is best known for his Sajha ...
, 1974
Translations, editing and joint collections
*''Aadhunik Japani Kavita'', 1987
*''Poems of the Century'', 2000
*''Voices from Nepal'' (joint work), 1999
*''Beyond Borders: an Anthology of SAARC Poetry,'' 2002
*''Japani Haiku: Hijor ra Aaja'', 1987
*''Japani Noh Naatak'', 1989
*''Samakalin Nepali Kavita'', 1996
*''Biswosahityako Aithihashik Rooprekha'', 1974
*''Pacchisbarshakaa Nepali Kavita'', 1982
Ecology and Conservation
His keynote speech at the Nepal Year of Conservation 2009 UK Celebration hosted by the Zoological Society of London was published in
the Kathmandu Post on 25 November 2009. In his address he stated that the plentifulness of animals and the perennial existence of opulent nature was a myth and gave examples of visual dramatisation of animals in relation with hegemonic power structures.
Awards
*
SAARC Literary Award
SAARC Literary Award is an annual award conferred by the Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature ( FOSWAL) since 2001 Shamshur Rahman, Mahasweta Devi, Jayanta Mahapatra, Abhi Subedi, Mark Tully, Sitakant Mahapatra, Uday Prakash, Suman Pokhrel ...
2010 -
Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature
*Yug Kavi Siddhicharan Award 2013
References
See also
*
List of Nepali translators
This is a list of translators who contributed to Nepal and Nepali language.
A
* Abhi Subedi – poet, playwright, translator, essayist
B
* Bhanubhakta Acharya
K
*Kshetra Pratap Adhikary
M
*Manjushree Thapa
S
* Suman Pokhrel – poet, trans ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Subedi, Abhi
1945 births
Living people
20th-century Nepalese poets
Nepali-language poets
English-language poets from Nepal
Nepalese translators
Nepalese dramatists and playwrights
Tribhuvan University alumni
Nepalese scholars
English-language writers
Nepali-language writers
Literary translators
Translators of Suman Pokhrel
People from Tehrathum District
Nepalese male poets
20th-century male writers
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
English–Nepali translators
Nepali–English translators
Khas people
21st-century Nepalese male writers