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Forget Kathmandu
Rev and expanded edition.Major history, analysis of contemporary Nepal politics, excellent reviews such as Newsweek.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
32 people are currently reading
558 people want to read
About the author
Manjushree Thapa
23 books95 followersManjushree Thapa is a Nepali writer.
She grew up in Nepal, Canada and the USA. She began to write upon completing her BFA in photography at the Rhode Island School of Design. Her first book was Mustang Bhot in Fragments (1992). In 2001 she published the novel The Tutor of History, which she had begun as her MFA thesis in the creative writing program at the University of Washington. Her best known book is Forget Kathmandu: An Elegy for Democracy (2005), published just weeks before the royal coup in Nepal on 1 February 2005. The book was shortlisted for the Lettre Ulysses Award in 2006.[3] After the publication of the book, Thapa left the country to write against the coup. In 2007 she published a short story collection, Tilled Earth. In 2009 she published a biography of a Nepali environmentalist: 'A Boy from Siklis: The Life and Times of Chandra Gurung.' The following year she published a novel, 'Seasons of Flight.' In 2011 she published a nonfiction collection, 'The Lives We Have Lost: Essays and Opinions on Nepal.' She has also written as an op-ed contributor to the New York Times.[4][5]
During the fall and winter of 2011, she was writer-in-residence at Berton House in Dawson City, Yukon.
She grew up in Nepal, Canada and the USA. She began to write upon completing her BFA in photography at the Rhode Island School of Design. Her first book was Mustang Bhot in Fragments (1992). In 2001 she published the novel The Tutor of History, which she had begun as her MFA thesis in the creative writing program at the University of Washington. Her best known book is Forget Kathmandu: An Elegy for Democracy (2005), published just weeks before the royal coup in Nepal on 1 February 2005. The book was shortlisted for the Lettre Ulysses Award in 2006.[3] After the publication of the book, Thapa left the country to write against the coup. In 2007 she published a short story collection, Tilled Earth. In 2009 she published a biography of a Nepali environmentalist: 'A Boy from Siklis: The Life and Times of Chandra Gurung.' The following year she published a novel, 'Seasons of Flight.' In 2011 she published a nonfiction collection, 'The Lives We Have Lost: Essays and Opinions on Nepal.' She has also written as an op-ed contributor to the New York Times.[4][5]
During the fall and winter of 2011, she was writer-in-residence at Berton House in Dawson City, Yukon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
December 24, 2019
Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal is a small valley bustling with activity in its maze of cobbled lanes dotted with shrines and more recently, high-rises, malls and multinational companies. And Nepal is a country bountifully blessed by natural beauty that draws tourists from all over the world some of whom, as mentioned in the book, ask to see the yeti. The locals of Kathmandu hurry to leave the country owing to the lack of opportunities and poor possibilities of the country’s progress in a foreseeable future. But those from the rest of Nepal find solace in Kathmandu because infrastructure and thus, basic facilities of education, healthcare and employment have barely made it to their hometowns in the mountainous landscape. The iconic image of Prithvi Narayan Shah’s raised index finger denoting a unified Nepal sadly does not symbolize uniform or even comparable development throughout the small country despite several changes in governance. When in Kathmandu, it is easy to forget about the sorry state of most of Nepal and it takes spunk and immense effort to get to the other side and forget Kathmandu.
Forget Kathmandu is Manjushree Thapa’s attempt at making sense of the state Nepal was in, in the early 2000s and she did so by traveling to Dailekh, Kalikot and Jumla that were badly affected by the civil war, to interact with locals. King Gyanendra had dismissed the government and consolidated power by then. In the far western districts of Nepal where the author and her friend traveled by foot for miles at a stretch because of lack of other means of transportation, they saw poverty at its worst and children as young as 12 who had joined the Maoist forces. To these children, the communist ideologies didn't matter as much as the power that their ammunition gave them. The author understood from her personal interactions that the people were broken many times over by poverty, negligible facilities if any, gender inequality and caste divide. She writes that the Maoists can thus be justified in demanding their rights given that the many rulers of mighty Nepal had done almost nothing to better the lives of the poor in the peripheries of the country.
The book however begins with the turmoil the nation was in when news of the royal massacre reached the people, the rituals that followed and the conspiracy theories that were in circulation back then. It goes back in history to discuss the Shah rulers, the Ranas and the Mallas before them. The book progresses to establish that the authoritarian monarchies produced free thinkers who formed the Nepali Congress and the Communist party of Nepal and elaborates on how both these parties rose to power and lost their credibility in due course of time.
The book was written at a time when Maoism appeared as a threat to those in Kathmandu while people who experienced the activism first-hand, probably saw it as a ray of hope. Forget Kathmandu is an exceptional read up on the political history of Nepal and is one of the books that I picked up to understand the pulse of Nepal.
Forget Kathmandu is Manjushree Thapa’s attempt at making sense of the state Nepal was in, in the early 2000s and she did so by traveling to Dailekh, Kalikot and Jumla that were badly affected by the civil war, to interact with locals. King Gyanendra had dismissed the government and consolidated power by then. In the far western districts of Nepal where the author and her friend traveled by foot for miles at a stretch because of lack of other means of transportation, they saw poverty at its worst and children as young as 12 who had joined the Maoist forces. To these children, the communist ideologies didn't matter as much as the power that their ammunition gave them. The author understood from her personal interactions that the people were broken many times over by poverty, negligible facilities if any, gender inequality and caste divide. She writes that the Maoists can thus be justified in demanding their rights given that the many rulers of mighty Nepal had done almost nothing to better the lives of the poor in the peripheries of the country.
The book however begins with the turmoil the nation was in when news of the royal massacre reached the people, the rituals that followed and the conspiracy theories that were in circulation back then. It goes back in history to discuss the Shah rulers, the Ranas and the Mallas before them. The book progresses to establish that the authoritarian monarchies produced free thinkers who formed the Nepali Congress and the Communist party of Nepal and elaborates on how both these parties rose to power and lost their credibility in due course of time.
The book was written at a time when Maoism appeared as a threat to those in Kathmandu while people who experienced the activism first-hand, probably saw it as a ray of hope. Forget Kathmandu is an exceptional read up on the political history of Nepal and is one of the books that I picked up to understand the pulse of Nepal.
January 23, 2014
It's easy for an American to fall in love with Nepal's native mythology. We easily recognize its appeal and harmonize it with our own Western myths of the East. The profusion of local gods promises plentiful objects of worship. They accomodate our own narratives and invite worship without demand for restraint, cooperation or submission.
It's easy for self-absorbed travelers to fixate on these analogies and miss much of what goes on around us when we visit Nepal. I've certainly done it.
During my most recent travels there, over conversations with Nepal's anti-trafficking activists, scholars, villagers, and development professionals, my focus shifted to matters more imminent than myth. I felt that a regard for the social and political reality of Nepal would help me move past my romance with the place into real relationship.
A clerk at a local bookstore recommended "Forget Kathmandu: An Elegy for Democracy" by Manjushree Thapa as a good starting point.
"Forget Kathmandu" is an intimate and lyrical account of a liberal thinker processing her own nation's attempts at democracy. Her subjectivity is perfectly balanced with a keen eye and ear for history and context. The story itself is tangled, difficult to parse, and immensely interesting. In Thapa's hands it becomes immediate and lyrical.
The word "Elegy" in the subtitle is, in my opinion, a poor choice. The book is more of a journal than an elegy. It offers a view of history that is animated by its participants and is felt deeply by its author. And the book closes with the sense that the story is still very much alive and in process.
I would say that there is a remarkable symmetry between the religion of Nepal and its ongoing struggle for democracy that bears examination, and which might be key to ongoing progress. This concern dovetails with my dissatisfaction at the section on the author's travels in the countryside, where she glimpsed local ideas and feelings on the Maoist insurgency, but provided little in terms of regard for local motives and thinking.
However, I'd say that these concerns might be outside the scope of what is a moving, carefully-wrought document of a nation struggling against massive internal and external forces to install democracy and pursue social justice. I highly recommend this book.
It's easy for self-absorbed travelers to fixate on these analogies and miss much of what goes on around us when we visit Nepal. I've certainly done it.
During my most recent travels there, over conversations with Nepal's anti-trafficking activists, scholars, villagers, and development professionals, my focus shifted to matters more imminent than myth. I felt that a regard for the social and political reality of Nepal would help me move past my romance with the place into real relationship.
A clerk at a local bookstore recommended "Forget Kathmandu: An Elegy for Democracy" by Manjushree Thapa as a good starting point.
"Forget Kathmandu" is an intimate and lyrical account of a liberal thinker processing her own nation's attempts at democracy. Her subjectivity is perfectly balanced with a keen eye and ear for history and context. The story itself is tangled, difficult to parse, and immensely interesting. In Thapa's hands it becomes immediate and lyrical.
The word "Elegy" in the subtitle is, in my opinion, a poor choice. The book is more of a journal than an elegy. It offers a view of history that is animated by its participants and is felt deeply by its author. And the book closes with the sense that the story is still very much alive and in process.
I would say that there is a remarkable symmetry between the religion of Nepal and its ongoing struggle for democracy that bears examination, and which might be key to ongoing progress. This concern dovetails with my dissatisfaction at the section on the author's travels in the countryside, where she glimpsed local ideas and feelings on the Maoist insurgency, but provided little in terms of regard for local motives and thinking.
However, I'd say that these concerns might be outside the scope of what is a moving, carefully-wrought document of a nation struggling against massive internal and external forces to install democracy and pursue social justice. I highly recommend this book.
October 27, 2025
Perusteellinen, jopa meditatiivisen yksityiskohtainen kurkistus Nepalin (poliittiseen) historiaan, demokratiakehitykseen, yhteiskunnalliseen elämään ja kuningasperheeseen Thapan henkilökohtaisiin muistelmiin yhdistettynä. Kulttuurista ymmärtämättömälle hyvinkin tarkka teos tuntuu välillä jopa luettelomaiselta historiankirjalta, mutta siinäkin oli puolensa – teksti kuitenkin soljui, sisällissota tuntui iholla, ja viime aikojen poliittiset kuohunnat (joista Suomessa on uutisoitu hävettävän vähän) tulevat ymmärrettävämmiksi.
June 20, 2015
It can be a great book for someone who is interested in the history of Nepal. The Shah dynasties that ended dishearteningly (more or less) with Royal massacre, the Maoist insufficiency, ups and down of Nepalese democracy, and never ending corruption; everything is explained along with the writer's personal experience . I actually found that part very interesting and I am not hesitating to say, I will read that part of this book again.
Later part of the book, it looks like a travel diary of the writer after the peace talk when she visits badly affected places from the Nepalese civil war. During that tour, she talks to many people including some Maoists and she concludes that the only people who favoured Maoist parties are the Maoist themselves. Non-Maoist people were happy that the war ended. It sought to be interesting but I kind of found it boring. More than the context, I think it was the way of writing. Mostly, the words and sentences she used were making me sleepy.
Published on: http://pchhantyal.blogspot.de/2015/06...
Later part of the book, it looks like a travel diary of the writer after the peace talk when she visits badly affected places from the Nepalese civil war. During that tour, she talks to many people including some Maoists and she concludes that the only people who favoured Maoist parties are the Maoist themselves. Non-Maoist people were happy that the war ended. It sought to be interesting but I kind of found it boring. More than the context, I think it was the way of writing. Mostly, the words and sentences she used were making me sleepy.
Published on: http://pchhantyal.blogspot.de/2015/06...
December 3, 2015
written by a woman named Manjushree; the Buddhist equivalent of Saraswati - goddess of knowledge, in and about a country of astounding misogyny. Nepal's politics, history and her personal experience - beautifully written.
June 13, 2025
In the earlier chapters of the book, it felt like I was revisiting Social Studies history lessons, only in much higher resolution. Thapa’s summary of the changes in Nepal’s governance, from the Shahs to the Ranas and now to the people’s representatives, makes you reflect on how Nepal’s leaders have always been the same: putting personal gains above people’s at the expense of national resources.
While the book is broadly a history of democracy in Nepal, it also weaves in Thapa’s personal experiences through the Royal Massacre and her trek across districts of the then Bheri and Karnali Zones during the 2003 ceasefire. In her account of the Royal Massacre, I could sense her feeling of being lost and helpless, echoing the sentiments of many citizens at the time. In contrast, during her trek, she comes across as more of herself—perhaps because she meets people even more lost and helpless than herself.
While the book is broadly a history of democracy in Nepal, it also weaves in Thapa’s personal experiences through the Royal Massacre and her trek across districts of the then Bheri and Karnali Zones during the 2003 ceasefire. In her account of the Royal Massacre, I could sense her feeling of being lost and helpless, echoing the sentiments of many citizens at the time. In contrast, during her trek, she comes across as more of herself—perhaps because she meets people even more lost and helpless than herself.
July 31, 2020
Part memoir, part history lesson, and part travelogue Forget Kathmandu is the story of the topsy-turvy road of democracy in Nepal after so many false starts. The people of Nepal feel betrayed (in various degrees) by the Monarchy, the mainstream parties, and the resurgent Maoist parties.
Part of the book is written from a first-person view of the author which makes it very authentic as oral history or as a journal. I had no idea that Nepal has had such a bloody history of regicide and insurgency before this book. It is also sad as people in the villages live on subsistence and most abject poverty and the ruling class has abandoned them. The last third of the book (the travelogue part) goes deeper into rural areas away from Kathmandu which has always been the hotbed of national politics. Well written and informative, this was a good read.
Part of the book is written from a first-person view of the author which makes it very authentic as oral history or as a journal. I had no idea that Nepal has had such a bloody history of regicide and insurgency before this book. It is also sad as people in the villages live on subsistence and most abject poverty and the ruling class has abandoned them. The last third of the book (the travelogue part) goes deeper into rural areas away from Kathmandu which has always been the hotbed of national politics. Well written and informative, this was a good read.
September 27, 2025
Forget Kathmandu offers a powerful glimpse into Nepal’s political and social upheavals of the early 2000s. For me, having lived through those years, the book wasn’t earth-shattering — it was reality. But for the rest of the world, it serves as an essential window into a fragile nation in transition, capturing its contradictions, struggles, and resilience with clarity and courage.
June 6, 2025
This book showed me a side of Nepal that we were never taught in schools, and that we never learned to look for. A side of Nepal that my parents (understandably) preferred to not talk about. I am very appreciative of it, and I know that it has done and will do the same for so many others.
I also really appreciate the fact that Manjushree Thapa never let us forget that she is a Kathmandu bourgeois, because despite all her travels and research, her class impacts the way she sees and tells things.
While I enjoyed Thapa's writing for most of the book, the dialogues felt a bit disjointed. But don't let that discourage you. Forget Kathmandu is a must-read.
I also really appreciate the fact that Manjushree Thapa never let us forget that she is a Kathmandu bourgeois, because despite all her travels and research, her class impacts the way she sees and tells things.
While I enjoyed Thapa's writing for most of the book, the dialogues felt a bit disjointed. But don't let that discourage you. Forget Kathmandu is a must-read.
August 24, 2019
I had no knowledge about Nepal's history before, and I had no interest in learning it either. I found this book at my friend's book shelf, read the first few pages, and got interested in it. I like a history book in this way of storytelling. The author didn't just tell what happened and what might had happened, he also, as a human, share his thoughts and the thoughts of people around him, as he said that the people who live in the thick of events are most likely just experience what happened rather than understand what happened. Some parts of history will be just a sealed box that none can reveal.
The story itself is a bloody mess. I thought, like the author said, Nepal people would be just simple hill folks, proud enough to have the highest mountain on earth, not some caste-driven people who would kill each other for throne. I'll look for what happened in Nepal after the book.
Having said all that, I have a curious thought that what happened in my country, Indonesia, in 1965, is somewhat similar to what happened in Nepal in 2001. I wonder if there is a book about 1965 Indonesia with this way of storytelling. I'd really like to read it, if there's any.
The story itself is a bloody mess. I thought, like the author said, Nepal people would be just simple hill folks, proud enough to have the highest mountain on earth, not some caste-driven people who would kill each other for throne. I'll look for what happened in Nepal after the book.
Having said all that, I have a curious thought that what happened in my country, Indonesia, in 1965, is somewhat similar to what happened in Nepal in 2001. I wonder if there is a book about 1965 Indonesia with this way of storytelling. I'd really like to read it, if there's any.
June 20, 2017
It is very strong book, first, giving the reader a short overview of the history of Nepal that later to involve in the narration about the latest events, such as Maoist revolution, monarchy coup and brutal atrocities and crimes committed by the military troops against ordinary people/farmers. Though, Maoist had committed a series of serious crimes, including insurgencies, murder of police and militaries (always armed people!), destroying bridges, telecommunication towers and etc, I do understand why poor young people joined the Maoist movement. All Maoists crimes together is the childish joke in comparison to those horrible atrocities, rapes and murders of civilians which committed the Army of Nepal and the Government of Nepal, including the royal family. While reading, your blood will run cold from anger and horrors.
July 4, 2020
Unico titolo di uno scrittore (in questo caso scrittrice) nepalese, e quindi unico candidato per il prompt #21 della RBBC Challenge 2020.
La trama mi ha ingannato: avrei dovuto guardare meglio anche il genere del libro sul catalogo OPAC, classificato in "Storia del Nepal". Mi aspettavo infatti un romanzo storico e invece è risultato essere per due terzi un libro di storia politica sul Nepal, che prende sì spunto dal fatto di cronaca nera avente protagonista il principe Dipendra e la famiglia reale, ma poi ne approfitta per raccontare secoli e secoli di politica, fino alla situazione corrente.
E' per questo risultato parecchio noioso, zeppo di nomi, date, successioni, governi, etc., di cui non sono proprio appassionata.
Nell'ultima parte invece diventa più interessante: la scrittrice narra dei suoi viaggi nei piccoli centri e villaggi del Nepal, descrivendo le varie situazioni. Questo rispecchia più anche la quarta di copertina, miscelando bene narrativa, storia e antropologia.
La trama mi ha ingannato: avrei dovuto guardare meglio anche il genere del libro sul catalogo OPAC, classificato in "Storia del Nepal". Mi aspettavo infatti un romanzo storico e invece è risultato essere per due terzi un libro di storia politica sul Nepal, che prende sì spunto dal fatto di cronaca nera avente protagonista il principe Dipendra e la famiglia reale, ma poi ne approfitta per raccontare secoli e secoli di politica, fino alla situazione corrente.
E' per questo risultato parecchio noioso, zeppo di nomi, date, successioni, governi, etc., di cui non sono proprio appassionata.
Nell'ultima parte invece diventa più interessante: la scrittrice narra dei suoi viaggi nei piccoli centri e villaggi del Nepal, descrivendo le varie situazioni. Questo rispecchia più anche la quarta di copertina, miscelando bene narrativa, storia e antropologia.
March 21, 2024
An excellent read on the political history or Nepal, starting from the days of pre unified Nepal. Although it does get a bit monotonous in the last third of the book where it seems like a bland travel diary of the writer travelling through some of the most least interesting villages. Nonetheless, that doesn't take anything away from the rest of the book which does an excellent job in documenting and analyzing the political history of the country while trying to make sense of the bizarreness of it.
It paints a common picture of how a democracy in its infancy can sometimes falter in the face of the trials and tribulations that it inevitably faces and how a country has to often take long road towards effective democracy that truly serves the people.
It paints a common picture of how a democracy in its infancy can sometimes falter in the face of the trials and tribulations that it inevitably faces and how a country has to often take long road towards effective democracy that truly serves the people.
August 6, 2025
A very fascinating look into a contemporary history too often overlooked. The first third is definitely easily the strongest part, where it goes into the immediate aftermath of the royal family's assassination. It does a great job at using the author's own experience to put the reader in that same torrent of misinformation and uncertainty.
The middle third is sadly the least engaging part; it frankly reads like a history textbook. I really want to have found this recount of Nepalese history more interesting, but alas. But I would still recommend the book for anybody curious about South Asian history and a conflict forgotten by the rest of the world.
The middle third is sadly the least engaging part; it frankly reads like a history textbook. I really want to have found this recount of Nepalese history more interesting, but alas. But I would still recommend the book for anybody curious about South Asian history and a conflict forgotten by the rest of the world.
April 5, 2020
An interesting book, and a decent read.
However, the author doesn't even try to give the Maoists a fair shot. She asks for accounts of good things the Maoists have done, and upon recieving them, disregards it as propaganda. She asks for evidence of female members within the Maoists, but upon witnessing them, disregards them as brainwashed uneducated peasants.
Her idealising of parliamentary democracy as the answer to all of Nepal's problems struck me as quite childish, naive and ignorant.
The best part of the book was her recounting the history of the mad Shah kings.
However, the author doesn't even try to give the Maoists a fair shot. She asks for accounts of good things the Maoists have done, and upon recieving them, disregards it as propaganda. She asks for evidence of female members within the Maoists, but upon witnessing them, disregards them as brainwashed uneducated peasants.
Her idealising of parliamentary democracy as the answer to all of Nepal's problems struck me as quite childish, naive and ignorant.
The best part of the book was her recounting the history of the mad Shah kings.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2018
This is the one of the best book on Nepal, the country where king ruled as a god. This book is a good start if you want to know about the country well. It starts from the royal massacre of Narayanhiti Palace and take you to a very beautiful journey of history and legacy of Nepal's cultural heritage. Book ends on the people's point of view on Maoist Insurgency and there suffering and lost. A Must read book for everyone. Even it's a non fiction but still I like reading it...
January 17, 2022
I bought this book at a captivating Tibetan bookstore whilst in Kathmandu and devoured it promptly upon my return. While it's an older book, and it's only one woman's perspective, I learned infinitesimal amounts of new information about Nepal. Nepal has a crazy political, religious, and cultural history, but the last 50-60 years have been particularly rife. The author deftly explains a very complicated history, which is complimented well by her own thoughts and experiences. It all works to deepen my love of the country.
August 12, 2022
This book is a mixture of the author's memoir and a brief history of Nepal and I liked both of them. I am well familiar with the history of Nepal and events in the early 2000s discussed in the book, yet I enjoyed reading the author's take on it. This book brought back memories from my young adult life in Nepal. I also enjoyed reading about her experience traveling to the remote Karnali region of Nepal during the time of the Maoist insurgency.
October 2, 2022
Fluent writing by the writer that covers the accounts starting from the Royal Palace Massacre of 2001 followed by the historical development of Shah dynasty followed by the works and the times of Rana regime, nascent democracy introduced by late king Tribhuwan and commendable acts done by late king Mahendra, political instability in the Nepal and within political parties. The writing get topped with the travel around the war affected districts during the ceasefire in the time of insurgency.
April 8, 2024
Informative history of the Nepali monarchy and recent move to democracy, including the Maoist insurgency. As others have noted, the first 2/3 of the book is a solid history told in a conversational style, and the last 1/3 is a travelogue in the countryside, meeting local villagers, during a pause in the insurgency. I have just read prior to a trip to Nepal, and I think it will help me understand the place I’m traveling, but it is not the most complete work of history.
September 21, 2017
Great primer for Nepalese history... caught me up after a few decades away. But the royal family history over centuries is truly tawdry, evil, and murderous. Wow. I couldn't keep it all straight but the gestalt is quite clear and the recent history is revealing. Hope the 1st elections in nearly 20 years go well this November.
September 27, 2019
A bit of a drag after 150 pages .. mostly the mid 80s to early 2000s and the level of details was a bit overwhelming. Does not have much details on the gorkha kingdom or the conquest of prithvi narayan shah but I guess this book was never meant for it.. just made passing references on the establishment of nepal in the mid 1800s.
Good for political history of nepal
Good for political history of nepal
March 22, 2020
Read this whilst travelling in Nepal. Learnt a lot about the country whose history I had absolutely no clue about. Definitely added some colour to a lot of the dysfunction we witnessed; from the constant striking, the chaos and unplanned nature of the roads and cities. Super fascinating.
April 23, 2020
I bought this when I was in Nepal, but part of me wishes I’d read it before I went. It was... dense. It’s amazing to me that such a small and humble country has such a rich (and dark?!) political and cultural history. I really enjoyed this, even if it took me a while to get through!
July 17, 2018
Possibly the most engaging book written so far about Nepal's history leading up to the current political state. A mix of history, politics, memoir and travelogue.
September 26, 2018
Simply amazing! Fantastic look back to our history and a terrific story-telling of some major events that have completely changed our country!
Must Read!
Must Read!
January 23, 2019
Very heavy and complicated and bloody but extremely interesting historical look at Kathmandu’s rich cultural history.
January 2, 2020
dherai mann paryo
June 2, 2021
Country: Nepal
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews