Mountains Painted with Turmeric - by Lil Bahadur Chettri (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Since its publication in the late 1950s, Mountains Painted with Turmeric has struck a chord in the hearts of hundreds of thousands of Nepali readers. Set in the hills of far eastern Nepal, the novel offers readers a window into the lives of the people by depicting in subtle detail the stark realities of village life.

Carefully translated from the original text, Mountains Painted with Turmeric tells the story of a peasant farmer named Dhané (which means, ironically, "wealthy one") who is struggling to provide for his wife and son and arrange the marriage of his beautiful younger sister. Unable to keep up with the financial demands of the "big men" who control his village, Dhané and his family suffer one calamity after another, and a series of quarrels with fellow villagers forces them into exile.

In haunting prose, Lil Bahadur Chettri portrays the dukha, or suffering and sorrow, endured by ordinary peasants; the exploitation of the poor by the rich and powerful; and the social conservatism that twists a community into punishing a woman for being the victim of a crime. Chettri describes the impoverishment, dispossession, and banishment of Dhané's family to expose profound divisions between those who prosper and those who are slowly stripped of their meager possessions. Yet he also conveys the warmth and intimacy of village society, from which Dhané and his family are ultimately excluded.

Review Quotes

Mountains Painted with Turmeric is a well-captured docudrama.--Tim Kindseth "TIME Asia"

A flawless translation... [of] a moving and simple story of a universal family forced to leave home.--Kunda Dixit "Nepali Times"

A moving novel of social realism.-- "Kirkus Reviews"

A real craft product, using patterns and skills honed by history, celebrating our common vision... engrossing, instructive, moving.--Donald Richie "Japan Times"

A simple yet thought-provoking tale... A subtle, eye-opening look at Third World mores, and the winnowing of society's weakest links.-- "Booklist"

Lil Bahadur Chettri's novel is a moving example of social realism, and Michael J. Hutt's elegant translation lends a timeless, fable-like tone with a gorgeous rendering of the natural scenery.-- "Publishers Weekly"

The translation is engaging and accessible.--Bradley Winterton "Taipei Times"

About the Author

Lil Bahadur Chettri is an Indian Nepali who lives in the state of Assam in northeast India. He is the author of two additional novels, The Unfulfilled and On the Banks of the Brahmaputra.Michael J. Hutt is professor of Nepali and Himalayan Studies in the Department of the Languages and Cultures of South Asia at the School of African and Oriental Studies in London. He is the author of Modern Literary Nepali: An Introductory Reader and Unbecoming Citizens: Culture, Nationhood, and the Flight of Refugees from Bhutan.