Madan Mani Dixit (February 17, 1923 – August 15, 2019) was a Nepalese writer, journalist and novelist. His novel ''

Madhabi ''Madhabi'' () is a 1983 Nepali mythological novel by Madan Mani Dixit. It was published on 13 April 1983 by Sajha Prakashan, and won the Madan Puraskar (2039 BS) for the same year. It is a retelling of the story of Madhabi and Gallav from Mah ...

'' is considered a classic in Nepali literature. He received the prestigious

Madan Puraskar The Madan Puraskar ( ne, मदन पुरस्कार) is a literary honor in Nepal which Madan Puraskar Guthi confers annually for an outstanding book in the Nepali language published within the calendar year. It is considered the most pre ...

and

Sajha Puraskar Sajha Puraskar () is a literary award given by Sajha Publications. It is presented annually to the best book published by Sajha Publication. History It was established in 1967 and the first award was given to Bhupi Sherchan for his book ' ...

for the novel.

Early life and education

He was born on February 17, 1923 in Kathmandu. He grew up in one of the most powerful families in Kathmandu. Madan Mani's father and grandfather held diplomatic positions during the rule of the

Ranas Rana dynasty ( ne, राणा वंश, IAST=Rāṇā vaṃśa , ) is a Chhetri dynasty that imposed totalitarianism in the Kingdom of Nepal from 1846 until 1951, reducing the Shah monarch to a figurehead and making Prime Minister and other ...

. Madan Mani studied, from the age of eight, religious literature such as the

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...

in Sanskrit. He was educated at

Banaras Hindu University Banaras Hindu University (BHU) IAST: kāśī hindū viśvavidyālaya IPA: /kaːʃiː hɪnd̪uː ʋɪʃwəʋid̪jaːləj/), is a collegiate, central, and research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and founded in 1916 ...

in India.

Career

He started his career as a Headmaster at TriJuddha High School,

Birgunj Birgunj ( ne, वीरगञ्ज) is a metropolitan city in Parsa District in Madhesh Province of southern Nepal. It lies south of the capital Kathmandu, attached in the north to Raxaul in the border of the Indian state of Bihar. As an entr ...

. From 1958 to 1960 he worked as an editor for ''Haal Khabar'', a weekly newspaper. He was also the chief editor of ''Samichya'', his own newspaper. Madan Mani Dixit wrote with clear perspectives in mind. He drew from past experiences of his study of Sanskrit, philosophy, and history to write stories and novels flavored with scholastic insights. He believed that the most important aspect of story writing was not the style one writes in, but the feelings one is able to convey. One should be able to create an atmosphere suited to the period depicted. In 1960, he was part of a parliamentary delegation to the Soviet Union, representing the journalistic sector of Nepal. He worked for thirty-three years for the Nepal Communist party. He also served as vice chancellor of the

Royal Nepal Academy The Nepal Academy ( ne, नेपाल प्रज्ञा–प्रतिष्ठान), formerly known as Royal Nepal Academy ( ne, नेपाल राजकीय प्रज्ञा–प्रतिष्ठान), is an autonomo ...

(1994-1999). His most famous works included the novels ''Madhavi'', ''Meri Nilima'', ''Bhumisukta'', and the short story ''Kasle jityo kasle haryo?''. Madan Mani Dixit received various honors and awards, including the Madan Puraskar and the Adikavi Bhanubhakta Puraskar.

Death

Dixit died on 15 August 2019, aged 96.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dixit, Madan Mani 1923 births 2019 deaths Nepalese male writers Madan Puraskar winners Nepalese male novelists Male novelists 20th-century Nepalese writers 20th-century male writers 20th-century novelists 21st-century Nepalese writers 21st-century novelists 21st-century male writers People from Kathmandu Heads of schools in Nepal Sajha Puraskar winners

Early life and education

Career

Death

See also

References