About The Kathmandu Post Review of Books
Access to KPRB Essays and Reviews by Subject (not yet available)
Interested in Reviewing for the KPRB?
Publishers and Authors: How to Submit a Book for Review in the KPRB
The Kathmandu Post Review of Books was begun in April 1996. It appears in The Kathmandu Post, Nepal's largest circulation English newspaper. For the first two years it was published monthly, on the last Sunday of each month. From May 1998 it has been published on the second and last Sunday of each month. Each issue includes three or four reviews plus a feature essay on a topic we believe is, or should be, of public concern.
The goal of the KPRB is to review books that are of significance for the English reading public in Nepal. Hence while many books about Nepal are reviewed, so too are works on a wide range of issues important in Nepal, from hydropower development to literature, global political-economy to micro-credit for women. Parts of The Kathmandu Post are available on the internet; thus some reviews can also be accessed electronically on the editorial page of issues in which the KPRB appears. However, the bibliographic information about the book under review is generally missing on the Kathmandu Post site.
The full text of all reviews and essays that have appeared to date are being made available here (not all are yet uploaded). This site gives access to the KPRB issue by issue, as it appeared in the newspaper. Work is underway to add a subject index which will guide you to reviews and essays in a particular field/subject. In the future we may also add author, title, and reviewer indexes.
The Kathmandu Post Review of Books was brought into being by Ashutosh Tiwari. It has been produced ever since by a small collective who take turns coordinating and editing issues. Current coordinators include: Pramod Bhatta, Anil Bhattarai, Mary Des Chene, Abana Onta, Dinesh Prasain, Seira Tamang, Manjushree Thapa, Shizu Upadhya and Swarnim Wagle. Ashutosh Tiwari, Shailesh Gongal, Pratyoush Onta and Kumar Pandey are past, and we hope future coordinators. The Kathmandu Review of Books is a project of Martin Chautari which is run by the Centre for Social Research and Development.
We welcome new reviewers. If you are interested in reviewing for The Kathmandu Review of Books, write to the KPRB at Martin Chautari. Include information about the book you are interested in reviewing and your qualifications as a reviewer. Please note that submission of a review does not guarantee its publication. We reserve the right to edit submitted reviews. Significant changes in content will be checked with the author prior to publication.
Remuneration: Reviewers are paid a small amount. This is available in Nepali rupees only and cannot be sent out of the country. For reviewers abroad and others who can afford it, we encourage contribution of your remuneration to the Martin Chautari Lekhanmala translation project. A number of the reviews and essays from the KPRB have been translated into Nepali and published in Nepali newspapers, magazines and journals through this project.
Please note that, unlike when reviewing for an academic journal, the reviewer does not receive a personal copy of the book reviewed from the KPRB. Books received for review are placed in the Nepal Studies Group library. Books in our possession are made available to local reviewers. Reviewers are also free to propose books for review that they have access to from their own libraries or bookstores.
Length: Reviews of 600, 800 or 900 words are published. In exceptional cases, we may publish a slightly longer review.
Previously Published Reviews: In the first issue of each month we sometimes include previously published reviews. Review authors interested in having a review reprinted in the KPRB should contact us (see below) and provide a copy of the review (in disk or by email). It will be the responsibility of the review author to acquire reprint permission from the original publisher. We reprint based on relevance to a Nepali audience and available space in the KPRB.
Publishers or authors who wish to have a book considered for review in the KPRB should send one copy to:
P. Onta
The Kathmandu Review of Books
GPO 528
Kathmandu, Nepal
For more information write to the KPRB at Martin Chautari or to one of the current coordinators:
Anil Bhattarai
Mary Des Chene
Abana Onta
Kumar Pandey
Seira Tamang
Manjushree Thapa
Shizu Upadhya
Swarnim Wagle
Books received will be placed in the library of the Nepal Studies Group, which is made accessible to journalists and local researchers. Books that have a substantial focus on Nepal will also be listed in the Books Received section of the journal Studies in Nepali History and Society.
Last changed: 99/04/17