The Gurkha's Daughter is a collection of short stories by Indian author

Prajwal Parajuly Prajwal Parajuly (né Sharma; born 24 October 1984) is an Indian writer whose works focus on Nepali-speaking people and their culture. Parajuly's works include the short-story collection ''The Gurkha's Daughter'' and novel '' Land Where I Flee''. ...

, describing and dramatizing the experiences of

Nepali Nepali or Nepalese may refer to : Concerning Nepal * Anything of, from, or related to Nepal * Nepali people, citizens of Nepal * Nepali language, an Indo-Aryan language found in Nepal, the current official national language and a language spoken ...

-speaking people and the Nepali diaspora. The ''Hindustan Times'' described it as the "best short story collection you have read in a while".

The Stories

The book comprises eight stories based upon the Nepali-speaking societies of and around Nepal. Most of the stories in the book happen in Gorkhaland, that lies in the frontier of Nepal and India.

Critical response

In ''The Asian Review of Books'', Nigel Collett called ''The Gurkha's Daughter'' a "promising debut", adding that Parajuly, "gets deep under the skin of his characters to reveal the often very difficult circumstances in which they live. I am aware of no other writer in English who has so vividly brought to life the dilemmas and constrictions of daily Nepalese life. The effect is poignant." Babatdor Dkhar of the ''Calcutta Telegraph'' referenced the initial buzz surrounding Parajuly's two-book deal, saying that fears he would not live up to expectation proved unfounded. "Parajuly paints colourful landscapes of a world that forever has remained in the background. A world that made sense in the stereotype. A world whose characters come out of their small roles and make the starring ones their own. He brings to life the dreams, the everyday, the aspirations, the failures, love, the differences that add and the ones that remove." ''The Lady'' magazine gave three stars to the collection, saying they were, "Stylistically reminiscent of Raymond Carver, while at the same time opening a door on to an unfamiliar world." John Garth in ''The Guardian'' has written a long review of the book.

Honors

On 7 October 2013, ''The Gurkha's Daughter'' was among seven titles short-listed for the

Dylan Thomas Prize The Dylan Thomas Prize is a leading prize for young writers presented annually. The prize, named in honour of the Welsh writer and poet Dylan Thomas, brings international prestige and a remuneration of £30,000 (~$46,000). It is open to published w ...

Translation

The book was translated in Nepali as ''Gurkha ki Chhori'' and was published in 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gurkha's Daughter, The 2012 short story collections Indian literature Indian short story collections Quercus (publisher) books