FREIBURGER ZEITGEISTLITERATURE (Satis Shroff)

Satis Shroff is a Nepalese writer who writes in English since 1972. Shroff is a lecturer of creative writing, as well as a long-standing journalist and writer who started his writing career in 1972 with The Rising Nepal, a daily from Kathmandu. He is also a lecturer at the Akademie für medizinische Berufe (Uniklinik Freiburg), VHS-Freiburg and VHS-Dreisamtal in Kirchzarten. He writes fiction and non-fiction since his days in Kathmandu as a journalist in 1972. He wrote a column Science Spot on the wildlife conservation, mountaineering, cultural themes as well as literature, development and tourism. He also wrote commentaries for the External Service of Radio Nepal, in addition to freelancing for The Christian Science Monitor and other newspapers in the USA in the early seventies. He was born in Nepal and did his schooling in a British Public School in Darjeeling. He went to Kathmandu, Nepal for further studies and did his Intermediate in Science (ISc) from Amrit Science College an...

Lit Podium: Haslacher Freitext 2017 Die heilige Kühe von Kathmandu (Satis Shroff) Es war ein König, so eine Legende, Der befahl, dass Kühe freigesetzt werden sollen Von Familien die trauerten, In den Strassen von Katmandu, Lalitpur und Bhadgaon, Um die Schmerzen von einem verstorbenen Prinz Zu verkraften, Und eine traurige Mutter und Königin Zu trösten. Die Kinder verkleideten sich Als groteske Kühe und lustige Figuren Und tanzten zu Nepali Musik, Um die Königin zum lachen zu bringen Und ihre Tränen zu wischen. * * * Die Berge sind Menschenleer (Satis Shroff) Wo sind die jungen Leute? Die Männer sind in fremden Armeen Und dienen ausländischen Herren. Die schönen, gehorsamen Frauen Sind in Bombays und Kalkuttas Bordellen entführt. Und sie fragen mich: „Wo sind die jungen Leute?“ Sie gingen fort um zu überleben, Weil eine Kälte sich im Königreich verbreitet hat. Die Dürre, die Hungersnot, Di...

When did you first start writing? I really started writing when I went to Kathmandu to do my BSc in Zoology and Botany. I used to write articles and stories in The Rising Nepal, an Engish daily. The day Satchmo died I had the urge to write something about this great trumpet player. After college I joined the newspaper and wrote a science column of my own (mostly conservation of wildlife in Nepal) and about cultural events, now and then about a yeti-expedition or about glaciers in the Himalayas. What’s the story behind your latest book? It’s a memoir about a young writer who goes west to study, meets interesting people, travels to fascinating countries, tries out different cuisine and gets to know about the Germanfolk as a student, as a lecturer, singer in a men’s choire. He also visits his former home-country and is interested in the literature of the two countries, as well as English literature. Nepal’s lingua franca is Nepali but since his parents sent him to an Irish...