Description

‘Jim Kasom’s stories pull me into a world familiar and fascinating…[They] display the nuanced meaning of freedom for diverse individuals…and reveal the sacrifices people make to preserve peace.’—Easterine Kire

Comprising twelve stories, The Last Free Naga paints a portrait of a people the remoteness of whose land is both a defence and a chosen way of life. In fresh, haunting prose, the author writes with a keen eye for detail and a deep understanding of his culture.

The stories range from those that describe the time when the Naga national movement was at its peak, to stories about the rhythms of rural life, and about the extraordinary beauty and ruthlessness of the land. In the title story, a young boy meditates on all that he will leave behind in his village once he goes to study in the relative safety of a neighbouring state—how will he carry the mementoes of his land and his people in a single suitcase? In ‘Salt’, a man confronts head on the brutality of the state, even though all he wants is to carve a life for himself in the quiet mountains. In ‘Season of Cicadas’, a walk home is interrupted by the Khangayei, a creature of myth and memory, often misunderstood. And ‘The River that Bends Time’ takes the reader into a mystical landscape where the forgotten past comes alive—where fishing nets bind generations of fathers and sons, and a river continues to flow despite all the changes in the land that it waters.

Silent lovers, fractured families, taciturn fathers, feisty grandmothers, lost uncles—Jim Kasom’s stories contain a multitude of lives, each as fascinating as it is unforgettable. Finally, The Last Free Naga is a testament to the solitude, the resilient spirit, and the utterly distinctive identity of the Naga people.