Prajwal Parajuly
Encyclopedia
Prajwal Parajuly (born 24 October 1984) is an Indian author who writes short stories about Nepali-speaking
people and their culture.
Parajuly grew up in the Gangtok
, Sikkim
region of northeastern India, where his writing talent was quickly recognised. At age 17 he became a columnist for The Himalayan Times, and a year later enrolled at Truman State University
in Kirksville, Missouri
. He was involved in the school's campus media, including editor-in-chief of Detours travel magazine that, after a significant redesign, won the College Media Advisers' Apple Award in March 2006 and the Pacemaker Award at the 2007 National College Media Convention in Washington, D.C.
After graduation, Parajuly moved to New York City and worked as an advertising executive for The Village Voice
. Parajuly recalled in a November 2010 interview with República
when he picked up a newspaper in his native Nepali language:
Parajuly left his job in 2009 and began visiting communities across South Asia, Great Britain and the United States influenced by refugees from Bhutan
, seeking to tell their stories. While working on his first compilation of short stories, he gained acceptance into Kellogg College's creative writing Masters programme at Oxford University.
In September 2011, Quercus Books
secured the publishing rights to Parajuly's two first books: the short-story collection The Gurkha's Daughter: Stories and the novel Land Where I Flee. Quercus editor-in-chief Jon Riley said of Parajuly's work: "The colour and intensity of Prajwal Parajuly's language, and the world he peoples his work with, make him an astonishingly accomplished young writer and one we are excited to be publishing." Newspapers across South Asia, notably The Times of India
, have lauded Parajuly's early work.
The first of Parajuly's books is due on UK bookshelves December 2012.
Nepali language
Nepali or Nepalese is a language in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.It is the official language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar...
people and their culture.
Parajuly grew up in the Gangtok
Gangtok
Gangtok is the capital and largest town of the Indian state of Sikkim. Gangtok is located in the Shivalik Hills of the eastern Himalayan range, at an altitude of . The town, with a population of thirty thousand belonging to different ethnicities such as Nepalis, Lepchas and Bhutia, is administered...
, Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
region of northeastern India, where his writing talent was quickly recognised. At age 17 he became a columnist for The Himalayan Times, and a year later enrolled at Truman State University
Truman State University
Truman State University is a public liberal arts and sciences university in Missouri, United States and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. About 6,000 students attend Truman, pursuing degrees in 43 undergraduate and 9 Graduate programs. It is located in Kirksville in...
in Kirksville, Missouri
Kirksville, Missouri
Kirksville is the county seat of Adair County, Missouri, United States. It is located in Benton Township. The population was 17,505 at the 2010 census. Kirksville also anchors a micropolitan area that comprises Adair and Schuyler counties. The city is perhaps best known as the location of Truman...
. He was involved in the school's campus media, including editor-in-chief of Detours travel magazine that, after a significant redesign, won the College Media Advisers' Apple Award in March 2006 and the Pacemaker Award at the 2007 National College Media Convention in Washington, D.C.
After graduation, Parajuly moved to New York City and worked as an advertising executive for The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
. Parajuly recalled in a November 2010 interview with República
Republica
Republica are an English alternative rock band formed in 1994. The height of their popularity spanned from 1996 to 1999. The Republica sound was described by the band as "techno-pop punk rock"...
when he picked up a newspaper in his native Nepali language:
- Imagine my shock and confusion when I picked a Nepali paper and took more time than I ever had to read a paragraph. It had been close to ten years since I last thought of the three different types of ‘Sas’ (the letter). I was forgetting my own language. It was a sad feeling – this realization that Nepali was gradually slithering into the background of my life. Couple that with not having written anything creatively for a long time, and you knew a book recipe had to be brewing in there somewhere.
Parajuly left his job in 2009 and began visiting communities across South Asia, Great Britain and the United States influenced by refugees from Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
, seeking to tell their stories. While working on his first compilation of short stories, he gained acceptance into Kellogg College's creative writing Masters programme at Oxford University.
In September 2011, Quercus Books
Quercus (publisher)
Quercus Publishing Plc is an independent publishing house, based in London.It was founded in 2004 by Mark Smith and Wayne Davies, who had previously worked together at the Orion Publishing Group.It is known for its lists in crime Quercus Publishing Plc (PLUS Markets: ) is an independent publishing...
secured the publishing rights to Parajuly's two first books: the short-story collection The Gurkha's Daughter: Stories and the novel Land Where I Flee. Quercus editor-in-chief Jon Riley said of Parajuly's work: "The colour and intensity of Prajwal Parajuly's language, and the world he peoples his work with, make him an astonishingly accomplished young writer and one we are excited to be publishing." Newspapers across South Asia, notably The Times of India
The Times of India
The Times of India is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. TOI has the largest circulation among all English-language newspaper in the world, across all formats . It is owned and managed by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd...
, have lauded Parajuly's early work.
The first of Parajuly's books is due on UK bookshelves December 2012.