Mountains Painted with Turmeric

Lil Bahadur Chettri; Translated and with an Introduction by Michael J. Hutt

January, 2008
Cloth, 152 pages, 9 halftones
ISBN: 978-0-231-14356-1
$22.50 / £13.00

"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

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

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

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

"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

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

"This is a moving story, depicting in wonderfully rich detail the round of village life: the daily farm work and chores, the gossip chain, the weekly market, the limited opportunities, the rapacious rich preying on the poor, and women's particular vulnerabilities. Reading this story could contribute to understanding why poor villagers would join the Maoist cause." — Ann Hunkins, poet and translator

"Michael J. Hutt's contribution as a translator and critic of Nepali literature has been invaluable. With Mountains Painted with Turmeric, he brings to light an iconic Nepali novel: the story of sheltered villagers faced with a harsh, changing world. Hutt's rendition is sensitive and skilled. Through this translation he shares with us his deep empathy for and fine understanding of Nepali reality." — Manjushree Thapa, author of Tilled Earth and Forget Kathmandu: An Elegy for Democracy

Related Subjects

• Asian Literature
• Fiction

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.

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