Manjushree Thapa boasts a collection of fiction and non-fiction works, most notably, “Forget Kathmandu: An Elegy for Democracy”. She has also been a contributor for the New York Times, The Kathmandu Post, Hindustan Times and other publications. Currently, she is working on the final draft of her upcoming book, “All of Us in Our Own Lives”, which revolves around the aid world in Nepal.

The book is set to be published in early 2016 by Aleph Book Company. Her childhood was mostly spent abroad — in Canada and the United States. She graduated, both high school and undergraduate, in America but returned to Nepal to work in the non-profit sector. For the the last few years, she has called Canada home where she lives with her Canadian husband. However, her heart is always with Nepal. Here in a rendezvous with Manjushree, she shares the journey of her becoming a writer, the topics she choses to explore and her future plans. Excerpts:

I came to writing late, at about the age of 26. I had already written my first book, but I didn’t consider myself a writer because it seemed like a one-off. I was working with an NGO and considering studying anthropology, but it wasn’t a happy plan. I just didn’t know what else to do with my life. But then one day I realised, out of the blue, that I already was a writer and wanted to continue being one. So, I went to study creative writing at the University of Washington, in Seattle, as a Fulbright fellow.

When you first told people you wanted to be a writer, what were their thoughts? Was your family and community supportive as you pursued your writing goals?

My family has always been supportive, I’ve been very lucky that way.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I write about social issues, which are all around us in Nepal.

Who are your favorite writers and what are your favorite books?

Big question! I read a lot and love a lot of authors and books. I realize now I was quite influenced by some Russian writers like Fyodor Dostoevsky (The Brothers Karamazov) and Nikolai Gogol (Dead Souls). I adore Virginia Woolf and re-read Mrs. Dalloway every few years.

I was also quite influenced by American writers like Don Delillo (Mao II) and Toni Morrison (Beloved). There are lots and lots of other writers whom I love – I don’t think I can mention them all. The Bengali writer Mahasweta Devi (Old Women) has also been important to me. I read her work in the translations of Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak.

Nepali society isn’t really a reading society. We like stories but we don’t encourage reading for leisure, how do we encourage people to read for fun?

Several organisations have made a real effort to put fun into reading. Those who produce and promote children’s literature are primarily among them. Also, those who organise readings, festival, book fairs and book-related events are doing important work. I’m very encouraged by all of this.

How do we encourage women and creativity?

Virginia Woolf’s advice in ‘A Room of One’s Own’ still rings true to me: women need to have a certain measure of financial independence and a room of one’s own, to write. Especially in Nepal, where women are expected to do everything, from office work to house work, the ability to have ‘me time’ is crucial.

What are your future hopes for Nepal and arts?

In Nepal, writing has had a long history of social and political engagement, and now the other arts, like the visual arts, are joining this tradition too. I believe that the arts change public consciousness; and a changed public consciousness leads to concrete changes in society. It would be great if there were a larger investment in arts.

What is your advice to people who want to pursue writing?

Read a lot.

What are your future hopes and dreams?

I hope to keep writing, that’s enough of a dream.

What do you like to do other than writing?

I like to walk, or hike, or trek. I love to swim. It’s important for me to be physically active, because writing is so very static as an activity. I read, of course. I also love art and I love going to museums and galleries.

If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing?

I’d be making more money.