Translated from the Slovene by David Limon

The Diaries of Adam and Eve, A Novel by Evald Flisar 978-81-957816-1-4 pp 216 Paperback 2022 Rs. 495 Indian

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Slovenia’s bestselling novelist, Evald Flisar’s the Dairies of Adam and Eve is one of the most unusual complex novels.  Considered one of the most unusual “love stories,” the book weaves the story of Adam and Eve are a young couple who desperately want a child, but cannot have one, because one of them is infertile. Unable to communicate openly, they secretly read each other’s diaries, and in their need to have a child finally invent one. The problem is that each invents a different one and that by clinging to their images, living in a world that is reality and fiction at the same time, their lives take a turn for disaster. The novel requires dedicated reading, but is endowed with many layers of meaning, open to many interpretations, rich with unexpected twists and turns, forcing us to doubt the certainty of what we perceive as reality.

“Flisar’s novel can be seen as an artistic testimony that mental problems are in a way worse than physical illness, since their consequence is that a person cannot be included in a community and in tune with it, and with this everything that gives meaning to our life remains absent.”

—Majda Travnik Vode in the Afterword

Born in 1945 in Slovenia, then still part of Yugoslavia, Evald Flisar is an iconic figure in contemporary Slovenian literature. Novelist, playwright, essayist, editor, globe-trotter (travelled in 98 countries), underground train driver in Sydney, Australia, editor of (among other publications) an encyclopedia of science and invention in London, author of short stories and radio plays for the BBC, president of the Slovene Writers’ Association (1995 – 2002), since 1998 editor of the oldest Slovenian literary journal Sodobnost (Contemporary Review), he is also the author of 16 novels (eleven of them short-listed for kresnik, the Slovenian “Booker”), two collections of short stories, three travelogues, two books for children and 15 stage plays (eight nominated for Best Play of the Year Award, three times won the award).

Winner of Prešeren Foundation Prize, the highest state award for prose and drama, and the prestigious Župančič Award for lifetime achievement. His work has been translated into 40 languages. His stage plays are regularly performed all over the world, most recently in Austria, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Serbia, Bosnia, Belarus, USA and Mexico. Attended more than 50 literary readings and festivals on all continents. Lived abroad for 20 years (three years in Australia, 17 years in London). Since 1990 he lives in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

His legendary novel, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, set in Ladakh and Zanskar, is the most widely read Slovenian work of fiction since World War II; still a “must-read” 36 years after its first publication, it will soon appear in its 12th edition. His novel My Father’s Dreams, published in 2005, has earned him a place at the European Literature Night, an annual event at the British Library that features 6 of the best contemporary European writers. Another of his novels, On the Gold Coast, was nominated for the Dublin International Literary Award and was listed by The Irish Times as one of 13 best novels about Africa written by Europeans, alongside Joseph Conrad, Graham Greene, Isak Dinesen, JG Ballard, Bruce Chatwin and other great literary names.

In June/July 2015 he completed a three-week literary tour of USA, reading at the Congress Library in Washington and SUA convention in Chicago, attending the performance of his play Antigone Now at the Atlas Performing Arts Center in Washington, speaking at the Slovene Permanent Mission at the United Nations.

His international success is truly astonishing: speakers of languages into which his works have so far been translated represent half of the world’s population.

Translated from the Nepali by Arun Budhathok

Shramatan: A Nepalese Migrant Worker’s Memoir by BN JOSHI Translated from the Nepali by Arun Budhathok ISBN 978-81-957816-5-2 Paperback 2023 Rs. 495 Indian Art by Sarita Dongol Amazon USA: https://www.amazon.com/dp/8195781659?ref=myi_title_dp Amazon India : https://www.amazon.in/dp/8195781659?ref=myi_title_dp Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/8195781659?ref=myi_title_dp Amazon Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/8195781659?ref=myi_title_dp

Shramatan is a harrowing ride that millions of Nepalese take every day, a tale of ‘coffin ships’ that take them away from their humble hillside homes to a hostile world of uncertainty and misery. A highly evocative, lived experience that can its readers sleepless nights.

– Yuyutsu Sharma, world-renowned Himalayan poet

Shramatan is a flashback of the author’s life. Although it is a memoir in terms of genre, it has a mocktail flavor of stories, poems, essays and plays. The dialogues, setting and characterization seem fictional. This book is not a flower pot found in the crowded cities, it’s a floral countryside garden. Being a flaneur and chronicle the personal details in scintillating prose remains the hallmark of Joshi’s craft.

–Raj Kumar Baniya, Kantipur

Before reading Shramatan, one has to gather courage and make one’s heart strong. Once you start, it’s impossible to stop. Quoting scientist Albert Einstein’s statement, “The power of imagination is more important than knowledge, “instead of surrendering to death, the writer is better off searching for imaginative solutions. Comparing the situation of the country and the government’s attitude through ‘natural reflection’ is extremely relevant. Also, the descriptive style is unparalleled.

–Sharu Joshi Shrestha, former UN Women official

Shramatan is a powerful memoir that can represent the emotional life of millions of Nepalese migrants who move out to seek employment and fortune. The protagonist’s vivid description of the life and death of Palpal stems from what the author saw, experienced and lived. The image of the British poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s ‘life in death’ continues to haunt as one reads the book.

–Tulasi Acharya, Annapurna Post

Shramatan is an endless catalogue of assiduous journeys trampled over recurring failures. Even in modern times, how time forces humans to struggle as primitive people? The book dramatizes how much suffering the humans have to undergo to their flaming desire to survive alive.

–Rupak Alankar, Naya Patrika

Shramatan brings forth reality that seems fictional. This is a writing done with the dark ink of tears. In it, more than the mind, the heart and emotions advance to the forefront. This is the text that evokes suffering caused by the desire for foreign employment. The book ridicules the establishment that attempts to run the nation on the basis of remittance rather than exploring job opportunities in the home country. The author has presented a vivid memoir of his own Shramatan experience in the book which has to be first-hand.

–Kumari Lama, Gorkhapatra Daily

This book has exposed the hidden side of truth and resultant societal insinuation of the foreign employment. The author has dared to bring to light the social incongruities and human degradation triggered by deportation and transnational human trafficking. There’s a great deal about failures and ineffectual implementation of the Nepalese government’s policies. The language is emotionally surcharged and compelling. For example:  The sound of crying gets stifled in the sea. So does a slice of dried meat found in the central desert.

–Dr. Somlal Subedi, Former Chief Secretary, Government of Nepal

Nepalese novelist and travel writer BN Joshi was educated at Tribhuvan University, Nepal and has published two books, Modern Beli, a novel and Shramatan. Joshi regularly contributes to national papers raising the issues of youth and labor migration.

He lives in Kathmandu and works as Executive Director at Tamas, a private business company.

Arun Budhathoki is a Nepalese poet, fiction writer, journalist and translator based in Canada. He has authored two poetry books, Edge and Prisoner of an iPad and two fiction books, Second in Love: Short Stories and Going Home. His work has appeared in several newspapers and journals including Vice, The Guardian, The Financial Times, Pratik, Asia Times, and Nikkei Asian Review, among others.

Sarita Dongol is a freelance visual artist with a Master degree in Fine arts from Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal. She is the Lecturer at Himalayan College of Architecture. In addition, her 12 solo art exhibitions in Nepal, Japan, France and Australia, her works have also been exhibited in many national and international Galleries since 1992. She received South Asian artist residency in Fukuoka , Japan 2002, South Korea in Gwanju 2006. International artists residency The floating Peers, Bangladesh 2014. She was awarded a Gold medal from Arniko Yuwa Sekwas Kosh 2011