Arun Budhathoki
Categories: Male Authors - Anglophone Authors - Poets - Saint John River Valley
Source: Author / auteur
Biography
Arun Budhathoki is a poet and writer originally from Nepal, now residing in Fredericton, NB, Canada. His work has been featured in international literary journals, and his previous poetry collection, Prisoner of an iPad: New Poems (2014), received critical acclaim. A guest author at the Sharjah International Book Fair (2015), Arun's writing navigates themes of migration, identity, and cultural dissonance. Arun has also translated a Nepali novel into English titled Shramatan: A Nepalese Migrant Worker's Memoir (2023).
And I Blamed Canadian Winter Again: Poems East & West is his latest offering, continuing his journey of storytelling across borders.
How has New Brunswick influenced your work?
My latest poetry book brings out lived experiences in Fredericton, NB. I am now a permanent resident, but my journey has been long. I first came to Fredericton in 2013 but left in 2015 after the earthquake in Nepal. I returned in 2021, graduated from UNB, and started working. I have brought my family now and my son was also born in Fredericton. So, NB has definitely influenced not just my work, but my life too.
What is your favourite New Brunswick book, and why?
I like the poetry of Bliss Carman...I read his poetry and was influenced to write while I was at UNB.
What do you consider to be the highlight of your career so far?
I was invited to the 2015 Sharjah [International] Book Fair.
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Featured Publication |
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And I Blamed Canadian Winter Again: Poems East & West (2025) |
Excerpt: In And I Blamed Canadian Winter Again: Poems East & West, Nepalese-Canadian poet Arun Budhathoki reflects on his journey between the snow-laden landscapes of New Brunswick and the towering Himalayas of his childhood. Navigating the complexities of identity, migration, and belonging, he captures the solitude of winter, the warmth of nostalgia, and the emotional crossroads of life in a foreign land. With a voice that bridges cultures, Arun paints vivid portraits of Fredericton's riverbanks, the echoes of his Himalayan upbringing, and the quiet struggles of adaptation. His poetry, rich in imagery and raw emotion, moves fluidly between past and present, charting the resilience of an immigrant soul. After a decade-long hiatus from publishing poetry, Arun returns to his first love — verse. Through this collection, he shares deeply personal reflections on art, survival, and the poetic journey, shaped by years of self-doubt, inspiration, and cosmic intervention. This book, supported by the arts community of New Brunswick and encouraged by his mentor Yuyutsu RD Sharma, is not just a return to poetry — it is a testament to the enduring power of words to illuminate, comfort, and transcend borders. |
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Source(s): Author.
