Tsering Döndrup is one of the most popular and critically acclaimed
authors writing in Tibetan today. In a distinct voice rich in black
humor and irony, he describes the lives of Tibetans in contemporary
China with wit, empathy, and a passionate sense of justice. The
Handsome Monk and Other Stories brings together short stories from
across Tsering Döndrup's career to create a panorama of Tibetan society.
With a love for the sparse yet vivid language of traditional Tibetan
life, Tsering Döndrup tells tales of hypocritical lamas, crooked
officials, violent conflicts, and loyal yaks. His nomad characters find
themselves in scenarios that are at once strange and familiar, satirical
yet poignant. The stories are set in the fictional county of Tsezhung,
where Tsering Döndrup's characters live their lives against the striking
backdrop of Tibet's natural landscape and go about their daily business
to the ever-present rhythms of Tibetan religious life. Tsering Döndrup
confronts pressing issues: the corruption of religious institutions; the
indignities and injustices of Chinese rule; poverty and social ills such
as gambling and alcoholism; and the hardships of a minority group
struggling to maintain its identity in the face of overwhelming odds.
Ranging in style from playful updates of traditional storytelling
techniques to narrative experimentation, Tsering Döndrup's tales pay
tribute to the resilience of Tibetan culture.
