Mortal Attractions: A Simpleton's Odyssey

Back of the Book

Born of Kathmandu, Nepal in 1963, Prakash Gurung is the fourth son of a British Gurkha World War II veteran of Burma. He has one sister and is the Principal of Dewy Dawn School. A teacher by profession, his poems have been published in various anthologies in the United States. He lives in Kathmandu with his wife and son, and is working on a second novel. He tried his hand at bantamweight boxing for five years and his accomplishments including singing, crooned Nepali songs on All India Radia.

Life in the third world is a hard one, and Nepal is no exception. The story of Simpleton, the hero of this book, is but a reflection of the many privations and difficulties endured by the people on a daily basis, affecting every aspect of their insecure lives and loves in which money makes a very romantic gift indeed. The aptly-named hero leaves his village for the bright light s of the big city to fall in love again. Love, murder, marriage, the grandeur of the Ranas and unemployment form the skin of which the web of this story is woven, right up to its surprise ending, depicting middle-class life in the Kathmandu of the '40s, and the economic and intellectual environment from which it sprang.

About the Book

Life in the third world is a hard one, and Nepal is no exception. The story of Simpleton, the hero of this book, is but a reflection of the many privations and difficulties endured by the people on a daily basis, affecting every aspect of their insecure lives and loves in which money makes a very romantic gift indeed. The aptly-named hero leaves his village for the bright lights of the big city to fall in love again. Love, murder, marriage, the grandeur of the Ranas and unemployment form the skein of which the web of this story is woven, right up to its surprises ending, depicting middle-class life in the Kathmandu of the '40s, and the economic and intellectual environment from which it sprang.

About Author

Born in Kathmandu, Nepal 1957, Prakash Gurung is the fourth son of a British Gurkha World War II veteran of Burnma. He has one sister and is the Principal of Dewy Dawn School. A teacher by profession, his poems have been published in various anthologies in the United State. He lives in Kathmandu with his wife and son, and is working on a second novel. He tried his hand at bantamweight boxing for five years and his accomplishments including singing, crooned Nepali songs on All India Radio.