Arpan Sharma

Kathmandu:

The publishers of journalist Kiran Wagle’s pioneer novel Palpasa Café, Nepa-laya, had planned to release the book in the first week of August. But the overwhelming demand for the book nationwide has forced the publishers to make it available in the market immediately.

So for booklovers yearning to delve into Wagle’s words, the book will be in the market from July 26. Buoyed on by the response, Nepa-laya’s Kiran Krishna Shrestha said, “There is no dearth of readers in Nepal and as long as there is an effective mechanism to give readers quality work, there is no reason why books in Nepali should not be able to hold its own in the market.” Managing Director of Educational Book House, Anjan B Shrestha, said, “We have had enquiries from all over the country. Only English novels enjoyed such demands, but now Palpasa Café has set a new trend.”

This being Nepa-laya’s pioneer venture into publishing, Shrestha said, “We will be guided by the response the Café receives.” Critics have said the book highlights the country’s contemporary issues. According to them, the author has depicted the present time in an innovative way, which people will be able to relate to. Abhi Subedi has called it a “meta-fiction”, while CK Lal has said the country has been described in a simple and original manner,

symbolically describing coffee, oranges and rhododendrons. According to Kunda Dixit, the anti-war book will be much talked about for a long time but has “fiction more than facts”, while Shekhar Kharel has called it a “unique modern” novel.

Palpasa Café is priced at Rs 250 (paperback); and Rs 450 (hardbound)