MIPAM

The First Tibetan Novel

New 4th edition

by Lama Yongden

Woodblock illustrations by Roger Williams


Finalist Fiction-Translations Category in
THE BEST OF THE INDIE PRESS IN 2000
ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award

   "I was enchanted when I first read Mipam. If you only read one novel about old Tibet, this is the one. You will encounter dharma, mystery and suspense, black and white magic, and romance. I like giving a copy of this book to new friends of Tibet." ...Nena v. S. Thurman, Tibet House

   Mipam is a warm and humorous fable of a Tibetan boy born into the home of a village headman in southern Tibet. Disappointed that his son was not recognized as the 17th reincarnation of the abbot of a local monastery Puntsog sends his son to study with the district astrologist where he meets the love of his present life and past lives, Dolma. From there Mipam's adventurous life takes him from the court of a minor Prince to the trading houses of western China. Encountering black magicians and Christian missionaries; mixing business with religion, Mipam's destiny is revealed in this tale of love lost and aspirations realized. It is a delightful and enthralling tale of life, love, compassion, karma, and adventure in the wilds of Tibet. The first Tibetan novel written by a Tibetan, a Tibetan Lama at that, is an engaging story of love, reincarnation and enlightenment written from a Tibetan point of view. Although a work of fiction the characters are clearly types and composites, yet they are drawn with such affection and attention to human detail that they remain thoroughly engaging. It's a refreshing saint who sings well, has a weakness for sweets and drives a hard bargain. Mipam reveals insights into Tibetan cultural and religion without being preachy or boring.

   Lama Yongden was a Tibetan Lama born in Tibet in 1899. He was the adopted son of one of the West's most famous Tibetologists, Alexandra David-Neel. He accompanied his adopted mother on many trips through his native Tibet and returned with her to France in the 1930s where he wrote this novel. In October 1955, at the age of 56, he died while residing with his adopted Mother in her French retreat, Samten Dzong (Fortress of Meditation), in Digne, 95 miles northwest of Nice.

Frustrated by the misrepresentation in novels on Tibetan culture, Lama Yongden decided to put the record straight. His desire was to illustrate to the West the true ideas and customs of his compatriots, and he does this with a lyrical and touching love story of profound and epic qualities.

    "For all who love Tibet and for those who wish to learn, this novel gives us a sense of its whole in one tiny parcel. Helped throughout by the traditional wood block illustrations by the American artist Roger Williams, the reader is transported into another time and culture which is replaced at the end of the novel by an overpowering sense that the only way one should live one's live is through compassion." -- Sarah-Jane Rawlings, Tibet News.


23 Tibetan woodblock illustrations, 2 B&W photographs

Mipam: The first Tibetan novel   ISBN 0-943389-33-X
by Lama Yongdon   $12.95

trade paper, 5 1/2" x 8 1/4"

How to Order

Back to SLG Books Catalog