“Kumari” – a magical word that makes Marie-Sophie Boulanger’s green eyes light up with interest. In Nepal, the Kumari are the little girls selected at the age of three to incarnate Taleju, a bloodthirsty goddess and the guardian spirit of royalty. The best-known Kumari is the Kumari of Kathmandu, who brings about the king’s re-investiture each year of his reign. From August to December 1998, Marie-Sophie Boulanger travelled throughout Nepal from her base in Kathmandu to complete her portrait of these children. “In a rapidly-changing Nepal, which is still torn between blood and flowers, the role of these little girls is very important. I wanted to investigate their lives, their fate and their political and religious role.” At the very least, it’s clear that Marie-Sophie Boulanger is personally involved in her work. What she likes best is to meet people, talk to them, listen to them, and retrace their history. And on this point, Marie Sophie Boulanger knows what she is talking about: after taking prep courses for library school and completing a master’s degree in history, she then completed a second master’s in ethnology! “I am willing to spend three months with a tribe, but not 15 years as a ethnologist. I like to work on a variety of topics. I would rather work more quickly, even at the risk of being more superficial.”

Achievements since winning the grant

- In 1998, she wrote her story on Nepal, which was published in Géo in 2000. 
- In 1999, she was the journalist in charge of discussions on the Forum-Planet channel.
- In 2001, Le Regard de la Kumari was published by the Presses de la Renaissance (then brought out again the following year by Libra Diffusio).
- In 2002, she was appointed professor of journalism for print media at Iscom (Institute of higher education in communications and advertising).
- In October 2004, her book Dis Moi Ce Que Tu Crois, Le Moine et l’Athée was published by Libra Diffusio.
- Since August 2005, Marie-Sophie Boulanger has been working as a managing editor in the children’s book department of Libra Diffusio. At the same time, she has continued with her journalism work with a report on India and Sri Lanka in November 2005, and continued her work as an author with the release of a book on children’s rights directed at children, Les Droits de l’Enfant Racontés aux Enfants, in September 2005.
- Libra Jeunesse was founded in the summer of 2005, and published the first “transgenerational” books.