AN INTERVIEW WITH SUSHANT THAPA
SUSHANT THAPA
Sushant Thapa is a Nepalese poet from Biratnagar, Nepal. He holds a Master’s degree in English literature from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. He has published five books of poetry, namely: The Poetic Burden and Other Poems (Authorspress, New Delhi, 2020), Abstraction and Other Poems (Impspired, UK, 2021), Minutes of Merit (Haoajan, Kolkata, 2021), and Love’s Cradle (World Inkers Printing and Publishing, New York, USA, and Senegal, Africa, 2023), Spontaneity: A New Name of Rhyme (Ambar Publication, 2023).
Sushant’s poetry has been published in places like Sahitto Bilingual Magazine, Sahitya Post, The Gorkha Times, The Kathmandu Post (Print), The Poet Magazine, The Piker Press, Trouville Review, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, Impspired, Harbinger Asylum, New York Parrot, Pratik Magazine (Print), The Beatnik Cowboy, The Dope Fiend Daily, Atunis Poetry, EKL Review, The Kolkata Arts, Dissident Voice, Journal of Expressive Writing, Sindh Courier, Bharath Vision, As It Ought To Be Magazine, Spillwords, Mad Swirl, Ink Pantry, International Times, Roi Fainéant Press, Medusa's Kitchen, Outlook India, Prodigy Magazine, Bold Monkey Review, Argotist Online Poetry among many.
Sushant has translated poems from Nepali to English. The book is titled "Dark Shadows" and it was published by Authorspress from New Delhi, India. The original writer was Nepalese poet Kamal Dhungana. He has also translated and published a story from Uzbekistan written by Sherzod Artikov. The story was translated into Nepali from an English translation of the story. A few poems by Sushant have been translated into Uzbek by Sherzod Artikov and also into Latin American Spanish (they were published in Spanish in Trinando Magazine).
The debut poetry book by Sushant, entitled "The Poetic Burden and Other Poems," has received the Indology Best Poet Award 2022 from West Bengal, India, and his third poetry book, entitled "Minutes of Merit," has won the Yashaswi Book Award from Kathmandu, Nepal. Sushant Thapa is a faculty member of Business English and Business Communication at Nepal Business College, Biratnagar, Nepal.
After receiving two prestigious awards for his poetry books, this is most probably his first interview with LB Thapa, the publisher and editor of The Hemingway Post, a literary magazine.
You are very deeply involved in poetry. What is poetry
for
you?
Poetry, for me, is a language used for expression mixed with creativity. I try to share something with the world when I write. Poetry is freedom of expression for me since I write free verse poems. I am not drawn to or attracted by facts when I write my poems. I try to give meaning to my words. Creative thought is immensely important for poetry. It is where you get your ideas. First, there comes a sentence in my mind or a word, and then I start playing with the words as I type. Ultimately, for me, poetry is the search for meaning. My words should mean something new. I try to write hopeful and optimistic poems as much as I can, but I don’t pretend to invent happiness. Our poems should be understood by readers, yet poetry should also be philosophical. Being philosophical means developing your own voice. My poetry has become spontaneous, but I am consciously looking to share some important subjectivity with the world.
I began writing poetry when I was in seventh grade. It was around 2006 when my first poem, ‘Shanti, in Nepali, was published. I was urged to write a poem by my Nepali teacher at school. I was listening to the news on television, and the most repeated word was Shanti," or Peace." I simply tried to express my own thoughts on paper. My writing has never been what I just heard on television after that. After I wrote my first poem, I took an unintended two-year gap and started writing Nepali poems in my diary that was gifted to me by my father. I mostly wrote Nepali poems, and on the top of every poem, I would write English or Nepali quotes that I was familiar with. The poems would be related to the quotes, or the quotes would be related to the poems. Poetry was a bit definitive for me in Grade 9. I simply defined "Life," "Pen", "Love," "Country", etc. What I wrote in my poetry was my own idea.
I was interested in English and Nepali subjects from my school days. When I was in Grade 2, I started reading The Adventures in English, Joy of Reading, and other books of the bachelor's level. I remember reading the story Kabuli Wala by Rabindra Nath Tagore. The books belonged to my siblings. I read Mahendra Mala, a Nepali subject book. I used to read stories from my course books before they were taught in the classroom.
My grandfather would also orally narrate to me the events of the Ramayana or Mahabharata. My childish brain would imagine the scenes as he narrated. To be interested in poetry, one has to enjoy stories. I have realized this now.
There are only a few poets
in Nepal who are actively writing poetry in English. Do you think the number
has increased or decreased in recent years?
I think the number of writers in English has increased. The writers are trying to get organized. The younger generation is attracted to the English language. Any literature written in any language in Nepal is Nepali literature. We should keep a course on "Nepalese Literature in English" at our universities; only then will translation work from Nepali to English also increase.
It seems that poets who
write in Nepali are more organized than those who write in English. Do you feel
an effort should be made to organize poets who are writing in English?
Recently, the Kalinga Literary Festival tried organizing poets to write in English. During the first and second editions of KLF, many Nepalese writing in English recited their poems. Novels written by the younger generation who have a good command of the English language have been published by Nepali publishing houses in Kathmandu. We should stop saying that the English language doesn’t have an audience. Our books can be in English, but they still have Nepali context. For example, Samrat Upadhyaya's novels have a Nepalese context. His books should be taught in the course on Nepalese literature in English. We also have books on mythology. For example, I am currently reading The Goddess of Kathmandu Valley, written by Prof. Arun Gupto of IACER College Kathmandu. The book is published by Routledge.
We should not be afraid that promoting literature written in English will overtake Nepali literature. We should celebrate the success of our literature in both languages, side by side. It helps with international recognition. Buddhi Sagar's Karnali Blues in English translation is just one literary voice. There can be many more.
It is said of writers and
poets in Nepal that they write for self-satisfaction and self-gratification.
They cannot make writing their full-time career. How far do you agree or
disagree with this notion?
Every writer should focus on writing quality work. Publishing quality works from Penguin or global publication houses can help make them known worldwide. At Nepalese universities, we should also have an MFA course in Creative Writing. The creative writing professors can be creative writers. We need publication houses in English where writers can work as editors and earn their living. If we start believing in quality literary works, we will also have their discourse. If we can do away with the false belief that there is no audience in Nepal for English, writers will be more conscious of writing for a larger society. I agree that there is less scope to be a full-time writer in Nepal. The solution is that Nepalese publication houses should promote the voice of Nepal in English.
Due to the onslaught of
social media and toxic online video games, book-reading culture is shrinking in
Nepal. What do you think?
I am connected to people who like to read. For writers, reading is important. However, nowadays, more and more young people spend their time on social media, which is a waste of time. Many researchers have confirmed that watching TV or social media for long periods of time will make the human brain dull and lethargic. On the contrary, reading makes the human brain active, young, and alert. Reading is an absolute joy, and therefore I would recommend everyone read and grow.
Nowadays, more and more
writers and poets have turned to self-publication. Which one do you support:
self-publication or traditional publication?
I believe a good manuscript is what matters. However, every writer should aim for traditional publication. Sometimes, talented writers also do not get the desired space, and they move on to self-publication for quick publication. Writers should focus on the quality of their work. Good, dedicated, and even young writers have a chance to be traditionally published by Nepali publication houses. It is just that they have not been promoted well.
I strongly believe that we should not neglect a literary work just because it is self-published. The American poet Walt Whitman self-published his most important literary work, Leaves of Grass. Leaves of Grass is still a famous poetry book that most writers know about. We need critical discourse in every literary book; it will map our progress in the long run. Many new ideas might be hidden in self-published books.
It is seen worldwide that
printed books, newspapers, and magazines are on the decline. Do you think the
trend will continue or that the print will make a strong comeback?
Over the last couple of years, most young people have been seen using electronic gadgets to read ebooks and other reading materials. As a result, there is a sharp decrease in printed books, newspapers, and magazines. But I’m dead sure the pleasure of holding a book in your hands and turning over the pages cannot be duplicated by any modern gadget. If you check on Google, you will find that, slowly but steadily, more people have started buying books. We should always promote reading materials. We need print to make a strong comeback.
Can you name one poet from
Nepal and another poet from abroad whose poetry has deeply influenced you?
I have been influenced by different poets. It is hard to name one. In my English writing from Nepal, I have been influenced by Yuyutsu Sharma and Bhuwan Thapaliya. In Nepali literature, Mahesh Paudyal and Chandra Gurung. Similarly, from abroad, poets Dustin Pickering from the USA and Sayani Mukherjee from India have deeply influenced me.
Many poets keep themselves
busy writing love poems, or many of them follow a set path of poetry writing
culture. However, some poets prefer to walk off the beaten path and set their
own parameters. Where do you find yourself as a young and creative poet?
Poets should develop their own philosophy of ideas. I altered the binary. In one poem from my debut poetry collection, "The Poetic Burden and Other Poems," I have said that black is also beautiful. I don’t worry about negative criticism. I want my work to be criticized a lot because only then will new discourse emerge.
The other day, you
received two prestigious literary awards for your poetry books. Will you please
shed some light on these two awards?
My first award is titled
"Indology Best Poet Award 2022. It is given by the editor of Indology
Magazine, Binay Laha, and the team. Binay Laha visited Kathmandu, Nepal.
Nepalese writers have been published in his Indology magazine. I had sent an
e-book for the competition; my book was chosen for the award.
My second and recent award is titled "Yashawsi Book Awards 2079". It has been awarded for my third book of English poems, entitled "Minutes of Merit," published by Haoajan Publishers, Kolkata, India. I received the award at the Kaling Literary Festival in Kathmandu along with nine other writers from Nepal. My book was the only poetry book in English that was awarded in KLF. I feel that my responsibility as a poet has increased a lot after receiving these two awards.
Are you planning to bring
out yet another poetry book soon?
I try to write one poem every day. I have a collection of poems for my sixth book. I hope that this book will soon hit the bookstands at home and abroad.
What is your message to
aspiring poets who want to begin writing poetry?
I want to convey the message
that young poets should keep playing with words. New ideas are necessary in
poetry. Young poets should not think that writing poems is an introverted
ideal. They should value reading literature a lot. Sustain yourself
professionally and economically, but invest in literature. Study the world's
literature well, and everything will follow. Make connections with
international literary magazines and circles. Young poets should keep
publishing and writing.
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