This year’s Padmashree Sahitya Puraskar and the Padmashree Sadhana Samman will be conferred upon novelist and short story writer Nayan Raj Pandey, for his collection Yaar, and Dr Taranath Sharma, respectively, the Khemlal-Harikala Lamichhane Samaaj Kalyan Pratisthan announced on Monday.

“In Yaar, Pandey presents a distinctive analysis of Nepali society, literature and arts by recounting the lives and times of his friends,” the Pratisthan announced. “Taranath Sharma has been active in the field of Nepali literature for six decades with his distinctive contributions to genres such as essay, criticism, fiction, translation and editing.” Pandey is the author of critically-acclaimed works of fiction such as Ulaar, Loo and Nidaye Jagdamba. Both the awards will be presented with a purse of Rs 200,000. Nawaraj Parajuli’s poetry collection Sagarmatha ko Gahirai bagged the prize last year.