I attended a colloquium organised recently to discuss the relationship between literary writing and politics. The organisers’ serious engagement on the subject was impressive. There was no ceremony of any kind as one would encounter in meetings of literary writers in Kathmandu.

The other point that struck me was that this colloquium was happening at a time when the current ethos of politics and change has filled the columns in newspapers and online channels. Some of those discussions are woven around the policies of the new government. The principal topics of discussion are dominated by issues of the judiciary, power, hegemony and various modes of their interpretations. Some familiar writers, erstwhile students and intellectuals from academia and legal practice, are participating in the discussion. Open and honest discussions are the necessary components of a democratic culture. But this colloquium was different; it was serious but informal.

Politics and literary writing are familiar subjects of discussion in Nepal, as elsewhere. I like the engaging yet tenuous feature of such a relationship here. Literature departments and literary institutions in Nepal have often perceived this as a familiar subject. But the dynamics of such a relationship evoke both scholarly and visceral aspects of studies if you are in a position to teach the subject and also produce literary works. Influenced very strongly by the English and French traditions of literary scholarship and writing, I have often tended to look at this subject from a broader perspective.

Politics, as is normally understood, is concerned with systems of organisation, power and even management. My topic is propelled by the question: What is the history of the relationship between literature and politics in Nepal? I want to begin with some references to authors and the history of politics and literature in recent times. But I do not want to sound as though I were proposing to write a history, as I did in my book Nepali Literature: Background and History (1977), or detailed articles on this subject that I have written in Nepali and included in earlier volumes. In this limited space, I want to put some features of the relationship between literature and politics in Nepal. I have used relevant information on this subject and alluded to some individual writers whom I met as a student and later in life.

I find the phenomenon of theme production in Nepal a very eloquent subject. In an article written on this theme in this paper just two months before the Gen Z uprising, I had explained its conditions. Like everybody else, I had the least idea, let alone any prophetic thoughts, about the uprising that was perhaps brewing then. I had written about the then condition of theme production in these words, “The parliament in session has become the most important centre of such a prolific generation of themes. Its everyday proceedings have certain features that draw the attention of the general public. What happens at the parliament these days is a mix of absurd theatre, sadak natak and engaged plays on stage. The grand theme is corruption and the scandalous involvement of responsible persons and parties in controversial issues, which continues to dominate the theme production process.” History has its ways.

In Nepal, literature, especially the poetic genre, has always been a favourite subject for both the creatively gifted poets and those in power. Some chose songs as a form of poetry writing. King Mahendra had a strong desire to be known as a lyric poet. Various people, including the very well-known literary critic Taranath Sharma, who shifted from a leftist critic to an admirer of the poet, wrote in praise of King Mahendra’s lyrical poetry. A group of Indian scholars from the Nityananda Society compiled the monarch’s poetry in his anthology Usaiko lagi to highlight the king’s Hindu associations. In the book titled King Mahendra the Poet , the writer YG Krishnamurti has subtly evoked a combination of power and poetry.

My studies and recollections say there was a strong desire among some writers to be associated with political parties or ideologies. Individuals holding Marxist views are very famous for that. There is a desire among individuals holding positions of power to be known as literary writers. Some political leaders chose prose genres, such as fiction, for their writing.

We should make a distinction here between those who wrote poetry and fiction, especially short stories and those who wrote literature and practised politics. In this category, we can place Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala, alias BP, at the forefront. But BP kept the binary of politics and literature, or doing politics and writing literature, as the two unrelated options. Narahari Acharya of his party and I, an independent writer and academic, have differed with him here. I have no space to cite references here. I strongly believe that BP’s categorisation as a socialist in politics and an anarchist in literature does not align with his philosophy of life, which is guided by democratic principles and the creative anxieties of performance.

People see the role of literature in social change and evoke the political implications in the poetry of Gopal Prasad Rimal, the fiction of Parijat, other than her magnum opus, Shirishko Phool, the poetry of Vijaya Malla, Bhupi Sherchan, songs of Ralpha and many others whose poetry writings and songs are noted at every moment of political transformation in this country. I have not read strong poetic and fictional writings that evoke the Gen Z uprising.

Theatre is the most politically conscious and performative genre. It captures the genius of the times, the anxieties and directions of change. The most prolific literary activities in Nepal are evident in literary festivals and the publication of books across literary genres. Fiction, poetry and memoirs hold important positions. Women writers have produced some strong works of fiction. Some that I read recently are remarkable literary creations.

Politics and literature are related on several scores. I would advise participants to study books and articles on this subject seriously. It is easier to analyse the current political change in Nepal, but making a literary assessment is neither straightforward nor predictable. We should realise that the electoral event and the dynamics of interim change have shaped the current politics. No such predictable events have occurred in literature. It takes time for literary writers to write about the challenges and conditions of creative change.