Oral and Literary Continuities in Modern Tibetan Literature

The journey that this work takes one on is extremely rewarding. This is an absorbing and illuminating read. It is composed in a style that should appeal both to the academic community and a wider audience. For anyone with a specific interest in modern Tibetan literature this is essential reading. Equally, it can be recommended to anyone wishing to learn about contemporary Tibetan culture, and even the traditional literary heritage of Tibet. * The International Journal of Asian Studies *
A stunning and singular accomplishment. Lama Jabb’s uncompromising, thoughtful, and erudite study of modern Tibetan literature is unparalleled. Much is new here: rethinking the nation, challenging ideas of when the contemporary period of literature starts, as well a trove of translations from the original Tibetan sure to delight the reader as much as educate them. This is a book of intellectual commitment and scholarly joy cultivated over a lifetime—from a childhood in a nomad family in Tibet to a scholar’s career at Oxford. This is an important book, destined to be a landmark work in the field. -- Carole McGranahan, University of Colorado, Boulder
This ambitious landmark study offers an in-depth and meticulously researched examination of the persistence of Tibet's artistic and oral traditions in the literary creativity of the present. . . . this book is a stunning piece of research that offers fresh and invaluable insights into a world of modern Tibetan literature. Lama Jebb is to be commended for his unparalleled command of Tibetan oral and literary works, as well as his rich, innovative, and thought-provoking analysis. A beautifully written and highly accessible read, this book was simply a pleasure to read and is recommended to anyone with an interest in modern Tibetan literature. * Asian Highlands Perspectives *
A stunning and singular accomplishment. Lama Jabb’s uncompromising, thoughtful, and erudite study of modern Tibetan literature is unparalleled. Much is new here: rethinking the nation, challenging ideas of when the contemporary period of literature starts, as well a trove of translations from the original Tibetan sure to delight the reader as much as educate them. This is a book of intellectual commitment and scholarly joy cultivated over a lifetime—from a childhood in a nomad family in Tibet to a scholar’s career at Oxford. This is an important book, destined to be a landmark work in the field. -- Carole McGranahan, University of Colorado, Boulder
A distinguishing quality of Dr. Lama Jabb’s book is to combine three seemingly distinct materials in an in-depth comparative analysis and shed light upon their intricate connections. It brings together classical Tibetan literature (deemed the finest Tibetan literature by many), modern Tibetan literature (deemed the ‘purest’ Tibetan literature by many) and quotidian oral compositions untouched by either of these categories. It is illuminating, meticulously researched, well-informed, beautifully written, and establishes a new benchmark for the study of contemporary Tibetan culture in general and of modern Tibetan literature in particular. -- Hortsang Jigme, Tibetan Poet and Historian
To convey the range and depth of the New Literature phenomenon to an Anglophone readership certainly requires a familiarity with the whole corpus, but much more besides: it demands a mastery of a wide spectrum of Tibetan genres, a sound grasp of Western literary theories, and a commensurate sensitivity to the English language. Lama Jabb has all these, and this remarkable book will open a new world as much to specialists of Tibetan civilization as it will to anyone who is interested in modern literature. -- Charles Ramble, University of Oxford
To convey the range and depth of the New Literature phenomenon to an Anglophone readership certainly requires a familiarity with the whole corpus, but much more besides: it demands a mastery of a wide spectrum of Tibetan genres, a sound grasp of Western literary theories, and a commensurate sensitivity to the English language. Lama Jabb has all these, and this remarkable book will open a new world as much to specialists of Tibetan civilization as it will to anyone who is interested in modern literature. -- Charles Ramble, University of Oxford