Sanu Sharma

Sanu Sharma

Sanu Sharma is a Nepali novelist, short story writer, poet, lyricist, and Ghazal writer whose work belongs to contemporary Nepali literature. She was born in Prasuti Ghriha, a government maternity hospital in Kathmandu, and was brought up in Kathmandu as well as in the hill and Terai regions of Nepal. That range of places sits quietly behind a body of writing concerned with social life, private pain, gender, identity, and the pressures placed on people by family and society.

Sharma published her first novel, Ardhaviram, in 2003, followed by Jeetko Paribhasha in 2010 and Artha in 2011. Her fourth novel, Biplavi, appeared in 2017. In 2018 she published Ekadeshmaa, her fifth book and first short story collection, which brought her wider attention from readers and critics. The collection was shortlisted for the Madan Puraskar, widely regarded as the biggest literary award in Nepali literature. She later published Utsarga in 2021, Pharak in 2022, and Tee Saat Din in September 2023. In April 2024, her ninth book, the short story collection Arko Deshma, was published and shortlisted for both the Padmashree Award and the Kavidanda Literary Award.

Her novels often follow women and girls facing emotional strain, unequal expectations, or social judgment. Ardhaviram explores the inner life of a woman in a mismatched marriage and the effect of an unstable home on a child. Artha tells the story of Jiya, who becomes Jiyakant while taking responsibility for her family after her father’s death. Biplavi examines gender roles, class disparity, marital abuse, and personal agency through Sasha and other women. Utsarga portrays Arya, a girl left in Nepal while her parents pursue careers abroad. Pharak centers on the bond between Pratyush and Bini, and Tee Saat Din addresses rape, trauma, friendship, family, and emotional intelligence in a digital age.

Sharma’s short fiction has also become an important part of her reputation. Ekadeshmaa is noted for emotional intensity and stories such as Bhaauju and Chot. Arko Deshma includes stories such as Sauta, Lockdown, Pari, Nayaa Mod, and Bakainako Bot, and marks a move toward a more observational, open-ended style. Rather than steering readers toward fixed conclusions, the collection gives them room to respond with their own intelligence, empathy, and insight.

Alongside her prose, Sharma is recognized for poems, lyrics, and Ghazals. Some of her Ghazals appear in the collaborative anthology Kaifiyat II, and many of her lyrics have been performed by Nepali singers with music by various composers. Her poems and translations have appeared in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Hindi across platforms in multiple countries, and many of her works have also been released as audiobooks. Her writing continues to speak to readers because it is clear, restrained, and close to ordinary emotional life, while still facing difficult questions about love, loss, identity, dignity, and social pressure.