Modern Tibetan Literature and Social Change

Foreword, Matthew T. Kapstein
1. Introduction, Lauran R. Hartley and Patricia Schiaffini
Part One: Engaging Traditions
2. Heterodox Views and New Orthodox Poems: Tibetan Writers in the Early and Mid-Twentieth Century, Lauran R. Hartley; 3. Roar of the Snow Lion: Tibetan Poetry in Chinese, Yangdon Dhondup; 4. The Development of Modern Tibetan Literature in the People's Republic of China: The 1980s, Tsering Shakya; 5. Döndrup Gyel and the Remaking of the Tibetan Ramayana, Nancy G. Lin; 6. "Heartbeat of a New Generation: A Discussion of the New Poetry" Revisited, Pema Bhum; 7. Oracles and Demons in Tibetan Literature Today: Representations of Religion in Tibetan-Medium Fiction, Françoise Robin
Part Two: Negotiating Modernities
8. One Nation, Two Discourses: Tibetan New-Era Literature and the Language Debate, Lara Maconi; 9. The 'Condor' Flies Over Tibet: Tashi Dawa and the Significance of Tibetan Magical Realism, Patricia Schiaffini; 10. In Quest(ion) of an "I": Identity and Idiocy in Alai's Red Poppies, Howard Y. F. Choy; 11. Development and Urban Space in Contemporary Tibetan Literature, Riika J. Virtanen; 12. Modern Tibetan Literature and the Rise of Writer Coteries, Sangye Gyatso (Gangzhun); 13. Tibetan Literature in the Diaspora, Hortsang Jigme; 14. Placing Tibetan Fiction in a World of Literary Studies: Jamyang Norbu's The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes, Steven J. Venturino

Columbia University

"Modern Tibetan Literature and Social Change will instantly become the standard reference for future writing on Tibetan literature. The significance of that literature for Sino-Tibetan relations and for the fate of the Tibetan cultural world is only now being recognized. The list of contributors to this collection is a veritable 'who's who' in the study of Tibetan literature."--Janet Gyatso, author of Apparitions of the Self: The Secret Autobiographies of a Tibetan Visionary "This book is a milestone. It is the first to bring together the complex variety of ingredients that have nurtured modern Tibetan literature. It considers several literary genres, written in three languages (Tibetan, Chinese, and English), and gives sensitive attention both to Tibetan literary tradition and to the turmoil of modern politics and social change."--Perry Link, author of The Uses of Literature: Life in the Socialist Chinese Literary System "Modern Tibetan Literature and Social Change is a pioneering and engaging collection of articles by prominent Tibetan, French and American academics tracing the evolution of Tibetan literature over the past fifty years. Lean and perceptive articles cover a wide range of literary output...With the representations of "Tibetanness" so hotly debated in China and the West, this collection gives a fascinating insight into the parallel debate raging within Tibetan literature itself." George Fitzherbert, Times Literary Supplement, 28th November 2008 "This project fills a long necessary gap not only in the study of Tibetan language and literature, but also in modern Tibetan cultural studies. It succeeds admirably in a task that is not attempting nearly often enough: of bringing Tibetan-related topics into meaningful dialogue with other areas and disciplines...The essays in this book establish a very strong case for why Tibetan literature should be included in World literature categories and given consideration for its artistic and literary quality as well