Appendix-I
I
had informed Narayan Wagle, the author of Palpasa
Café, that I was going to write MA Thesis on his novel. At that time, my thesis
proposal had just been accepted by the Department of English of Mahendra Multiple
Campus, Dharan. We had a talk for about seven minutes. He appreciated my
attempt, and wished me all the best. He also suggested me the way for getting
the copies of reviews on Palpasa Café
published in various magazines and newspapers. Meanwhile, I asked him some
questions about the novel. Providing answers to my questions he said that he
had really been interested in writing even since he was a boy. Like Drishya,
the protagonist of the novel, I found him very interested in arts and paintings.
He said that he had spent a lot of time in some libraries and galleries of the
capital. He revealed that he had been particularly interested in arts even for
reporting.
With
this scant information about the background of the conception of the novel, I
started my study of the novel on the model of aestheticism. But the more I read
the novel the more questions came into my mind. Perhaps my superviser Ramji
Timalsina also realized this. He suggested me to send a questionnaire to Wagle.
He also helped me to prepare some of the questions.
I
contacted Wagle again. He said he was too busy at the moment. Despite that, he
showed his readiness to help me sending answers of my questionnaire. So I sent
him a questionnaire through e-mail.
It
would have been better if I had been able to place all his answers in his own
handwriting. But I couldn’t do so because of the inadequacy of time and
technology. Anyway, I am very much thankful to Mr. Wagle for his interest and
help to me. The following are his answers to my questions:
1. Would you provide some information
about your childhood?
म तनहुंको क्यामिन छापथोकमा जन्मेर दुई कक्षासम्म त्यही पहाडी पाखाको प्राथमिक विद्यालयमा पढेको हुं । आमाबुवाले घरजग्गा बेची दुई भाइ छोराको पढाइका लागि अलि पायकको दमौली बजारछेऊ बसाई सारेपछि पहिला दमौलीस्थित निर्मल माध्यमिक विद्यालय र त्यसपछि पनि बसाईं सर्दै त्यही जिल्लाको फराकचौर पुगेर प्रस्तावित बाराही माध्यमिक विद्यालयबाट एसएसली पास गरेको हुं ।
2. How did you start your education?
What do you say about your school life?
म बाल्यकालबाटै लेखक बन्नेबारे सोच्थें । कापीमा जानीनजानी बुझिने नबुझिने गन्थन लेख्ने गर्थें, चित्र बनाउने गर्थें । विस्तारै साहित्यिक पुस्तकहरुतिर लहसिन थालेपछि लेखक बन्ने अमूर्त सपनालाई आकार दिनेबारे सोच्न थालें । काठमाडौं आएपछि ब्रिटिश काउन्सिल र अमेरिकी लाइब्रेरीको वातावरणले मलाई साहित्यिक रचनातर्फ लहस्याउन थाल्यो । पत्रकारिता थालेपछि विषयवस्तु पाउंदै गएं ।
3. What is your profession? What are you
doing at present?
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cvaf/ ;Dkfbg ub}{5' .
4. How did you start writing? How did
you get inspiration to write? By whom?
पत्रकारिताका क्रममा देशका धेरै जिल्ला घुमें, धेरै घटनाको समाचार बनाएं, धेरै व्यक्तिसंग भेट र विषयसंग साक्षात्कार गरें । संयोगले देशमा सशस्त्र द्धन्द्धका कारण भएका धेरै घटना चित्रित गर्ने अवसर पाएं र घटनाहरुमा परेका व्यक्तिहरुबारे कल्पना गर्दै जांदा यही विषयवस्तु जन्मिन पुग्यो । लेखक बन्नु थियो, विषय देशको परिस्थितिले दियो ।
5. What is your first original work?
When did you get it published?
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klxnf] /rgf osLg ;lDemg ;lSbg, @)$@ ;fnlt/ log} klqsfdf 5kfpg yfn]sf] x'+ .
6. Since you are a journalist, you have
to write articles, news items and features. I think you’re always busy in
writing and editing news items. How do you manage your time for literature?
Answer- There is a saying that busy people have more
time.
7. Which is your favourite writing: news
and features, articles or literature? Why?
Answer- I like everything. Depends upon the topic and
style.
8. I have read somewhere that you studied
science in college. How did you develop your interest and skill in literature?
Answer- n]vs aGg] d]/f] afNosfnb]lvs} ;kgf lyof]
/ ToxL kl5;Ddsf] d]/f] pmhf{ eof] . h]df ?lr 5, ToxL kl9G5, ;'lgG5, u'lgG5 /
ug{ yflnG5 eGg] d]/f xs\df klg nfu" eof] .
9. Why do you think people love and
write literature?
Answer- because literature is close to mind and heart.
10.
Is literature self-sufficient?
Answer- I think so.
11.
What
in your view is the relationship between life and literature?
A- Pp6} l;Ssfsf b'O{ kf6f .
12.
What
do you think about the theory of ‘art for art’s sake’? Is it the guiding
principle in the creation of Palpasa Café?
A- snf hLjgsf nflu x'g'k5{ eGg] d 7fG5' .
13.
How
do people get pleasure, in your view, from literature?
A- It ignites human emotions, feelings.
14.
Can
literary creators get pleasure from nature and society? If so, how?
A- k|s[lt / ;dfh ;flxTosf 3lgi7 ePsfn] To;af6 cfgGb
lng' :jfefljs 5 .
15.
Is
it possible that a man can be indifferent about the war going around and can
search for beauty within it?
A- No, one can't be.
16.
What
is the place of love in life and literature?
A- It is central.
17.
What
do you basically create literature for?
A- It gives me pleasure.
18.
What
is more important for a writer, his perception or the object he encounters?
A- Perception.
19.
Can
materialistic thinkers, in your opinion, get the level of pleasure a
spiritualist gets from art, artistic process and the world around? Why?
A- I can't answer, sorry.
20.
Your
debut novel received the prestigious Madan
Puraskar. Do you think it deserved it? Why?
A- It isn't me to comment on.
21.
How
long did you take to write Palpasa Café?
How did you get the title?
A- It took some two-three years. The title clicked one
day all of a sudden and I enjoyed it having on the cover.
22.
Some
critics have said that Palpasa Café
is an anti-war novel. Some others have said it is a post-modern avant-garde
narrative. What do you have to say? In your own opinion, what kind of novel is
it?
A- I really don't know.
23.
Do
you believe that you have presented yourself as the narrator both at the
beginning and the end of the novel? Or is it only your strategy to present
another character who shares your personality?
A- I thought it'd be the best way to present Drishya.
24.
How
and why did you get the idea of choosing a painter (artist) as the protagonist
of your novel?
A- I thought the artist would satisfy me more.
25.
Do
you accept that Drishya’s ideas and personality represent yours? How much is
the impression of your personality in characterization of Drishya?
A- It might be. It mightn't be.
26.
How
could you gain all the knowledge about art and aesthetics? Who are you inspired
by?
A- I used to cover art exhibitions in Kathmandu as journalist earlier and used to be fond of
art.
27.
What
are your references before and during you wrote your novel?
A- I didn't have any.
28.
I
have found a narrative mismatch in the novel. The beginner narrator says that
Drishya has just been abducted. The narrator at the end says that Drishya’s
whereabout is still not known. But in chapter-28, all the description about
Drishya’s abduction has been presented through his own narrative. How is it
possible for Drishya to provide all the information about his abduction so
precisely? If Drishya has already got an opportunity to narrate about his own
abduction to the (writer?) narrator of the novel, then why does he pretend of
not knowing anything about Drishya? What do you say on this? Is it your
deliberate strategy?
A- It wasn't strategy but style.
29.
Mostly
you haven’t specified the names of the village and other places that Drishya
and other characters roam. What’s the purpose for that?
A- Because it was identical to all hills, I suppose.
30.
How
is Drishya’s aestheticism different from Siddhartha’s dialectical materialism
in your view?
A- Sorry, I can't answer it.
31.
What
are the bases in the novel to prove that Drishya believes in aestheticism? What
are your efforts, as a writer, in the novel to show Drishya as an aesthete?
A- I thought whatever I've portrayed, it was enough.
32.
The
music has been mentioned many times in the novel. Drishya seems to be listening
songs almost all the time. So what is your purpose, as a writer, behind it?
What place do you think has the music got in your novel?
A- Again, I don't know.
33.
How
do you explain Drishya’s style of making paintings? Why doesn’t he paint an object
as real as the object is? Why does he use orange colour to paint a hill?
A- There are hints in the book.
34.
Do
you see any difference between Drishya’s perspectives before and after visiting
around the village? If so, how? If not, how?
A- Again, there are hints in the book.
35.
How
do you explain the relationship between Palpasa and Drishya? Between Christina
and Drishya?
A- It's not the writer's task role to define it. No
more of the writer once the book is out, I think.
36.
Does
Drishya believe in art for art’s sake? If so, why? If not, why?
A- Again, I am unable to answer.
37.
Does
Palpasa like Drishya’s painting just for its own sake?
A- There are hints again the book.
38.
In
your judgment as the writer of the novel, how do you evaluate Drishya,
Siddhartha, Palpasa and Christina?
A- As the writer I love them all. They are very dear
to me.
Appendix-II: Wagle’s
Reply to the Quest for His CV
Dear Parshuji
I'm sorry again to respond you late.
I found some of your questions quite personal. I don't
think you need to go into too personal matters. Just focus on your thesis on
the book. Writer's personal life doesn't matter much.
The following is my formal CV:
Narayan
Wagle, 40, recently quit as
the Editor of Kantipur ,
Nepal
Joined
as a reporter in Kantipur in 1991, he has covered everything from
business to politics, tourism to mountaineering, arts to international affairs.
He became chief reporter, rose to the position of news editor and finally
appointed as the editor of the leading daily in 2003 after the beginning of the
Royal regression. He travelled the country extensively before and after of the
Maoists’ armed movement.
He
led the newspaper during the much difficult period of military censorship and
Maoists militants' pressure. He was detained, summoned and threatened by the
authorities because of the newspaper's very strong editorial line advocating
free press, democracy, human rights and rule of law during the King's days.
He
was born in 1968 in Tanahun district, did schooling from his village, came
to Kathmandu for college. Started journalism
in 1990 in the then Janamanch weekly. Left the magazine to be with the
inception-team in Kantipur.
Palpasa
Cafe is his first book.
Thanks.
Narayan
Source: VOICE
FOR AESTHETICISM IN PALPASA CAFÉ,
A Thesis
Submitted
to
The
Department of English
Mahendra Multiple Campus, Dharan
In partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Arts in English
By
Parshu Ram Shrestha
2008
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