Song of the soil
Cover page of the original Nepali edition
First edition (Nepali)
AuthorChuden Kabimo
Original titleFaatsung (फातसुङ)
CountryIndia, Nepal
LanguageNepali
GenreHistorical fiction
Published2019
Publisher
  • FinePrint Publication (Nepal, Nepali and English)
  • Sambodhan Publication (India, Nepali)
  • Rachna Books (India, English)
  • Balestier Press (UK, English)
  • Monfakira (India, Bengali)
  • Vani Prakashan (India, Hindi)
Media typePrint (paperback)
Pages150
Preceded by1986 

Song of the Soil (Original title: Faatsung; Nepali: फातसुङ) is a 2019 Nepali novel by Chuden Kabimo.[1][2] The novel is based on the Gorkhaland movement revolution that took place during 1980s in the northern part of West Bengal.[3] The Nepali edition of the novel was initially published in 2019 by FinePrint Publication in Nepal and Sambodhan Publication in India.[4][5]

Kabimo, a writer from Kalimpong district, is the winner of the Yuva Puraskar for Nepali language 2018 for 1986—a short story collection centering around the Gorkhaland movement issue.[6]

Synopsis

The original title Faatsung translates to 'story of the soil' In Lepcha language. Kabimo belongs to the Lepcha community, an ethnic group indigenous to eastern Nepal, Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Sikkim region. The story revolves around the friendship of an unnamed narrator with his friend Norden, on the backdrop of the movement.

One day, the narrator receives the news Norden's death in a recent earthquake and decides to go back to his hometown in rural part of Nepali speaking region of West Bengal. As the narrator is going back to his hometown, he recalls his childhood with his friend. The narrator and Norden are studying in a primary school, when one day Norden decides to go find his lost father, Ripden. The narrator and Norden then run away from their village to another village named Lolay, where they have heard Ripden's friend lived. During the search of Ripden, they come across a man called Nasim, who tell them the story of Ripden and his involvement in the Gorkhaland movement of 1986.[7]

Reception

Charisma K. Lepcha in her review of the Nepali edition for Harvard–Yenching Institute wrote, “Written in a Darjeelingay style of Nepali, Kabimu’s voice is fresh and modern bringing back poignant memories of an era gone by.”[8] Chitra Ahanthem in her review for Scroll.in of the English translation praised the book for its political and personal intimacy saying, “...it breathes an intimacy into fiction that is both political and personal.”.[9] East Mojo, a digital news media platform focusing in the Northeast region of India, gave the book four stars (out of five) for its story and 4.5 stars for the translation, in its review of the English translation.[10]

The book was shortlisted for Madan Puraskar, 2075 BS (c. 2018-2019), an prestigious award of Nepali literature.[11][12]

The English translation of the novel was shortlisted for the JCB Prize, 2022. The shortlist was announced on 21 October 2022.[13] In 3 September 2022, it was longlisted for JCB Prize, 2022.[14] It is the first–ever book, originally written in Nepali language, to be listed for the award.[15][16]

Translations

The novel was translated into Bengali, with the same title as the original Nepali edition, by Samik Chakraborty, in October 2019.[17]

In October 2021,the English translation of the novel was published. The book was translated by Ajit Baral and was published by FinePrint Publication in Nepal, Rachna Books in India and Balestier Press in the United Kingdom.[18]

The Hindi edition of the novel, titled as Faatsung—Kahaani Mitti Ki, was published in February 2023 by Vani Prakashan, India. The novel was translated from Nepali to Hindi by Namrata Chaturvedi, an English literature professor at Zakir Husain Delhi College.[19]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Faatsung – A Saga of the Soil". Sikkimexpress. Retrieved 2021-10-27.
  2. ^ "12 books to read this summer". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
  3. ^ "गोर्खाल्यान्ड आन्दोलनको उपन्यास 'फातसुङ' सार्वजनिक". Setopati (in Nepali). Retrieved 2021-10-06.
  4. ^ Republica. "'Faatsung' addressing Gorkhaland conflict launches". My City. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
  5. ^ कान्तिपुर संवाददाता (2019-04-06). "गोर्खाल्यान्डबारे 'फातसुङ'". eKantipur (in Nepali).
  6. ^ "..:: SAHITYA Akademi - Yuva Puraskar ::." sahitya-akademi.gov.in. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
  7. ^ Taylor, Marissa. "The song and the soil - The Record". The Record. Retrieved 2022-09-06.
  8. ^ "Faatsung". Harvard-Yenching Institute. Retrieved 2022-09-06.
  9. ^ Ahanthem, Chitra. "'Song of the Soil' channels the aborted political movement for Gorkhaland through fiction". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2022-09-06.
  10. ^ EastMojo, Team (2021-10-28). "Book Review: 'Song of the Soil' readers will end up saying 'Baaf Re!". EastMojo. Retrieved 2022-09-06.
  11. ^ "मदन पुरस्कारको उत्कृष्ट सात सार्वजनिक". Kantipur (daily). 2019-07-11. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
  12. ^ Republica. "Seven books nominated for Madan Puraskar". My City. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
  13. ^ "Hindi, Urdu, Nepali Books Debut on JCB Prize Shortlist Comprising Entirely of Translations". The Wire. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
  14. ^ "JCB Prize for Literature announces 2022's longlist of 10 'incredible' books". The Indian Express. 2022-09-03. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
  15. ^ Scroll Staff. "JCB Prize for Literature 2022: Six translations (two from Urdu) feature in the longlist of 10 novels". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
  16. ^ "'फातसुङ'को अंग्रेजी संस्करण भारतको जेसीबी पुरस्कारको सूचीमा". ekagaj (in Nepali). Retrieved 2022-09-06.
  17. ^ "ফাৎসুঙ্ : মাটির মরমী কথা।". Groundxero (in Bengali). 2020-02-05. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
  18. ^ Republica. "English translation of novel 'Fatsung' released". My City. Retrieved 2021-10-27.
  19. ^ "Novel from hills goes places". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 2022-09-09.
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