Sitting on his desk at home, Peter J Karthak has a bundle of online articles he is reading. The author of the Sajha Puraskar-winning novel Pratyek Thhaun: Pratyek Manchhe says he hasn’t come to terms with the digital age and still finds himself printing articles that are published online to read.

“I still like the feel of paper when I read,” says Karthak. The musician and journalist, since his first book has transitioned into a Nepali English writer and has penned Every Place, Every Person (English translation of his first book) Kathmandruids: Monomyths and Meanymyths, and Nepali Music Makers. In an interview with the Post’s Srizu Bajracharya, Karthak shares his love for reading and his inspiration for writing. Excerpt:

How did you first come to love books?

In my time, reading was not such a priority, unlike today. Books were a luxury, I remember the only real text that we had at home was the holy bible. There were no books or newspapers. But I think I discovered books after I turned 14, around 1958, when I was a student of a city school in Darjeeling, far away from our farm, in the district library of the government. That’s when I got introduced to Time magazine, National Geographic, Mad magazine and Reader’s Digest comics. Comics were a big pass time for us in those days.

Did you always dream of becoming a writer?

No, that was unimaginable. In my creative process, I was a musician before a writer. I used to play the bass guitar, I was a disciple of Amber Gurung and played for Narayan Gopal, Gopal Yonzon, Tara Devi, Shiva Shankar and many more. But, in 1990, I left music totally as in those days, music was very limiting, so I was not growing as an artist. I realised that Radio Nepal where I was working at the time had no vision for music, and I felt like I was regressing more and more as a musician.

So how did you come to be a journalist and writer?

I think writing has always been a part of my life, although I came into it because of the people who I respect, they used to tell me that I have good power over language and that I should help them. And, for many years, when I was a journalist and copy-editor, I groomed many junior writers. I also think I improved through a lot of trials and error. I am a self-taught writer. I say that because my schooling was just standard. But I also believe that it was the only alternative for me after I left music. It was the only thing that could impress me. I couldn’t go for trekking, adventures or marathons; writing was the best I could do with my life, plus it satisfied me. It was a win-win situation as the sacrifices I made were appreciated.

How do you draw inspiration for writing?

It’s straightforward, by living life and observing events. Writing itself is not that hard, but the primary question you should ask when you sit down to write is: have you lived your life enough to that extent to be able to tell a story, to turn your observation and experience into a narrative? And that’s basically my inspiration. I try to live fully to tell my stories.

But isn’t writing a complicated process?

If you look at it practically, it’s the easiest thing to do. Even if you just wake up in the morning and write a page every day, you will have a manuscript of 365 pages by the end of the year. But the difficult part is words don’t always come easily. It’s preparation and clarity that helps a writer write. But we also have to understand that writing is an ongoing process and we can’t force it. Many people suffer through this because of the compulsion. Any work of art and composition is not a forced kind of conscription, you do it in your own space.

Why do you think reading and writing is essential?

Even if people are not writers, they will read anyway. But for writers, reading is mandatory, it should be part of their daily routine. Reading and writing are like nail and flesh, they need to go together. That’s the most important side job for writers.

Do you always find yourself reading?

No, there are other important things to do in life; like I said, you have to live life to be able to write, and you have to earn money and there are so many other things that you need to do. I may be famous as a writer, but my fortunes and economics may say otherwise. Writing is very expensive in Nepal. Fame is one thing, and fortune is quite another. And therefore, reading and writing needs discipline, and when you are not doing that, you need to socialise, get out there and find ways to make a living. You can’t just be with a book all day.

Why do you think ‘writing is expensive’ in Nepal?

You can’t think of Nepali writers as full-time writers like in the West, we haven’t reached that point yet. Although many writers enjoy fame, the career itself is not that fruitful. For writers in Nepal, we don’t have financial security. Even if I take a year to write a book, there is no definite prospect for its future. The book may not be published at all, and if it gets published, there is no guarantee that I will be able to work on a follow-up book. We don’t have publication houses that encourage, guide or groom writers in Nepal.

What was the last book you read and did you like it?

Writers need to be versatile with what they read. I am currently reading Nationalism and Ethnicity in Nepal, a non-fiction book. But right now, on my reading list, I have various books like Salman Rushdie’s The Golden House, Edward W. Said’s Orientalism: Western Conceptions of the Orient and literary works like Long Night of Storm by Indra Bahadur Rai.

What are the five books that you would recommend?

That’s difficult because there could be ten books for every decade. But reading is more helpful when you are serving your needs. When I was a journalist, I remember I used to mainly read more non-fiction works and commentaries. But if I had to name some, it would be Don Quixote’s Miguel de Cervantes, Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn—that book was also my first introduction to good literature. And Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, which touched my heart deeply. Every woman should also read Erica Jong’s books. I would even re-read One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and all of V.S Naipaul’s books and spy novels by John Le Carre, when I have the time.