Bhupendraman (“Bhupi”) Sherchan (1935-89) is the author of some of the most popular poetry in the Nepali language. He lived during a period of unprecedented social, cultural and political change in Nepal, and he was simultaneously a participant in and a commentator on this change. His short life also resembles a journey through a series of Nepali archetypes: the sharp-dressed son of a wealthy trader, the firebrand revolutionary student, the literatteur moving from one literary function to the next, the author of grandly ironic poetry, the angst-ridden sleepless soul, the heavy-drinking socialite and raconteur, the seeker of royal favours, the tragic invalid.

The biography of Bhupi Sherchan sheds light on the relationships that existed between political parties, state institutions, and the Nepali literary sphere during the Panchayat period (1962-90). This presentation will pay particular attention to Bhupi’s complex and changing relationship with the Nepali communist movement on the one hand, and the Royal Nepal Academy on the other: just two of the dilemmas faced by a free-thinking intellectual in a monarchical state. The presentation will include some readings from Bhupi Sherchan’s poetry, in English translation.