Nepal, April 11 -- Avaya Shrestha, writer of 'Phul Binako Sakha' (2003), 'Kayakalpa' (2005) (both anthologies) and 'Tesro Kinara'(2011) (a collection of short stories), recently published another anthology titled 'Lahana Ra Teer'. Divided into four parts, the book has 49 poems.

Though he specialises in Nepali literature, he is also an avid reader and writer of works in English and Nepal Bhasa. Shrestha received the 'Balkumari Risal Memorial Journalism Award' in 2018.

In this conversation with the Post's Anish Ghimire, Shrestha discusses how he began reading, his literary influences and his recently published poetry collection.

Describe to me your first read.

In my school days, I mostly read novels in Nepali and Hindi. I loved novels b...