Riyang Books is a Bhutanese publishing house founded in November 2012 by author Kunzang Choden and her family. Based in Thimphu, it is one of the few independent publishers in Bhutan and has released titles spanning children's literature, fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, with a focus on Bhutanese culture and heritage.
Riyang Books is a small, independent publishing house based in Thimphu, Bhutan, founded in November 2012 by the author Kunzang Choden and her family. It was established out of what the founders describe as "a deep love for literature and the written word" and a desire to create a welcoming space to encourage and support creative work in Bhutan. In a country with virtually no commercial publishing industry, Riyang Books occupies a rare position as one of the few dedicated literary publishers, releasing titles that span children's literature, fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.[1]
The name "Riyang" carries layered significance rooted in Buddhist tradition and Bhutanese culture. According to Buddhist scholar Dr Karma Phuntsho, "riyang" can be interpreted as mountain melodies or mountain tunes — the sounds and voices emanating from mountains. The word also carries associations with Manjushri, the Buddhist Bodhisattva of wisdom, and Yangchenma (Saraswati), the deity of learning and the arts. The publisher's logo features the symbol of Manjushri enclosed within an artistic musical note. As Dr Phuntsho explained, "'ri' and 'yang' together capture the spirit of both the immovable and the ephemeral, both stability and dynamism, both male and female energies."[2]
Founder: Kunzang Choden
Kunzang Choden, born in 1952 in Tang, Bumthang District, is recognised as the first Bhutanese woman to write a novel in English. The daughter of feudal landlord parents, she was sent to school in India at the age of nine, where she acquired fluency in English. She subsequently earned a BA Honours in Psychology from Indraprastha College, Delhi, and a BA in Sociology from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. After working for the United Nations Development Programme in Bhutan, she turned to writing, producing a body of work that has become foundational to Bhutanese literature in English.[3]
Choden's literary career began with Folktales of Bhutan (1994), a collection that brought Bhutanese oral tradition to an international readership. This was followed by Bhutanese Tales of the Yeti (1997), documenting the rich body of folklore surrounding the migoi (yeti) in Bhutanese culture. Her debut novel, The Circle of Karma (2005), examines gender roles and modernisation in 1950s Bhutan through the story of a female road-builder navigating traditional constraints and emerging forms of inequality. The novel received international attention and established Choden as a significant voice in South Asian literature.[4]
Publishing Programme
Riyang Books has built a catalogue that reflects the breadth of Bhutanese cultural life. The publisher's children's books — including The Porcupine Slope, Guru Rinpoche is Coming, Membar Tsho: The Flaming Lake, Monk Chasing Monkey, and Ashi Tshomen: The Mermaid Princess — draw on Bhutanese folklore and Buddhist themes, illustrated by artists including Pema Tshering and Yoko Inshigami. These titles fill an important gap in a country where locally produced children's literature has historically been scarce, with most available books imported from India or elsewhere.[5]
The non-fiction list includes Ogyen Choling: A Manor in Central Bhutan, co-edited by Choden and Dolma Roder, which documents a historic manor house in Bumthang that has been maintained by twenty generations of the same family and now operates as a cultural heritage museum. Academic works include The Successor of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel by the Japanese scholar Yoshiro Imaeda and Mipham's Dialectics and the Debates on Emptiness by Dr Karma Phuntsho, placing Riyang Books at the intersection of popular and scholarly publishing on Bhutanese subjects.[6]
Fiction and young adult titles include Dawa: The Story of a Stray Dog in Bhutan and Dorji by Alex Rothman. The poetry collection Tshegho: The Garment of Life, co-edited by Choden, Dolma Roder, and Sonam Deki, represents another facet of the publisher's commitment to nurturing diverse literary forms in Bhutan.[7]
Cultural Significance
Bhutan's publishing landscape remains extremely limited. The country has no large commercial publishers, and most books about Bhutan are produced by international publishing houses based in India, Europe, or North America. Local authors who wish to publish often face significant logistical and financial barriers, including the absence of established distribution networks, limited printing infrastructure, and a small domestic readership. In this context, Riyang Books serves a function that extends beyond commercial publishing — it provides institutional support for Bhutanese literary production and preserves cultural knowledge that might otherwise be lost as oral traditions fade.[8]
Choden's broader cultural work complements the publishing house's mission. She and her family have been involved in the restoration and preservation of Ogyen Choling, their ancestral property in Bumthang, which was converted into a cultural heritage site and museum under a registered foundation. This intertwining of literary publishing with cultural preservation reflects a holistic approach to heritage that is characteristic of Riyang Books' identity as a publisher rooted in place and tradition.
References
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