Kathmandu, December 18
The French Embassy in Nepal and the Alliance française de Katmandou organised the launch of the Nepali translation of Annapurna: The Premier 8000 on Thursday.
Annapurna: Premier 8000 was written by Maurice Herzog, leader of the historic 1950 Franco-Nepali expedition that achieved the first ascent of Annapurna, making it the first ascent of an 8,000 m peak. This Nepali edition makes this landmark account accessible to a wider readership in Nepal.
The translation of the Nepali edition was financed by the French Embassy and published by Fine Print.
On the occasion, Ambassador Corteval expressed hope that Nepali readers would “enjoy discovering this unique story of an adventure with phenomenal resonance, a unique moment in the history of mountaineering and which forged the friendship that still unites Nepal and France today.”
Also at the event, the translators of the book and teachers of the French language at the Alliance française, Ashok Shakya and Rijendra Shrestha, read selected passages from the Nepali translation.
The book launch event also featured a conversation between mountaineer Purnima Shrestha and journalist Kunda Dixit in which they explored several facets of mountaineering, Annapurna, etc.
During the conversation, Shrestha shared her experience of reading the book, saying, “In some parts of the book, I felt as if I were climbing Mt. Annapurna once again.”
