Rama Adhikari, TGT
Kathmandu, 11 April
Kosthakbhitra Hanso, a collection of stories by experimental writer Roshan Thapa ‘Neerab’ was launched in Kathmandu on Sunday. The collection of thirty-five short stories was launched jointly by senior novelist Dhrubachandra Gautam and critics Anupama Regmi and Mahesh Paudyal.
Speaking on the occasion, author Neerab explained how his dedication to fiction writing that has lasted for three decades now has culminated into this collection. In the midst of innumerable absurdities, he termed the launch a miracle like colliding of galaxies.
Commenting on the collection, critic Anupama Regmi said the characters of Roshan’s stories are themselves ‘narratives’. She lauded his deconstructive approach that blurs binaries not only of meaning but also of genres. She said Roshan’s stories are both narratives and criticisms at the same time. She underscored that his stories are for intellectual engagement.
Critic Mahesh Paudyal said, Neerab’s stories are a slap on idealistic thinkers who run the fallacy of imagining everyone’s reality in heroic characters they create. He said Roshan’s stories end where they begin and constantly feature the same absurd, fragmented and perpetually pessimistic character that emblematizes the stagnant and fugitive time we live him. He also commended the author for the intellectual feat that furthers brilliant intellectual traditions including those pioneered by the existentialists, nihilists and the absurdist
The work has been published by Shikha Books.