The Nine-Eyed Agate ─ Poems and Stories

"The Nine-Eyed Agate is a great illustration of the free-style poetry that dominates the Tibetan literary scene today. The author, Chenaktsang Dorje Tsering, alias Jangbu, is one of the most celebrated and talented writers of his generation. His poetry and prose has been wonderfully rendered into English by Heather Stoddard, a leading expert in the field of Tibetan literature and history. The book is illustrated with Jangbu's sketches, which, in addition to the poet's own preface and the translator's introduction, add great value to this unique publication." ---Nicolas Tournadre, author of Manual of Standard Tibetan

"The Nine-Eyed Agate is a fascinating collection of poems and short stories by Jangbu, one of the most original and creative voices on the Tibetan artistic and cultural scene today. In times when the map of Tibet is being drawn and redrawn in numerous ways by multiple actors, Jangbu opens a door to the intimate reaches of his Tibet and his Tibetan self, using radically contemporary language, expression, and content. Remarkably translated by Heather Stoddard, this book is a must for everyone interested in modern Tibetan literature and culture. It definitely belongs on the bookshelves of all those interested in poetry and art or indeed of anyone captivated by the countless marvelous possibilities of creation and recreation." ---Lara Maconi, INALCO, Paris

The Nine-Eyed Agate: Poems and Stories seeks to break stereotyped images of Tibet and Tibetans inside the People's Republic of China today, by presenting an outstanding modern intellectual and artist, a free-wheeling and restless traveler who has explored every corner of the high Tibetan plateau, with a view to understanding the culture and history of his people, their plight, and the key issues that Tibet faces today. Widely read in world literature through Chinese translation, Jangbu's writing is experimental, presenting a panorama of styles. There are short stories in prose, poems in free verse, a few satirical takeoffs of classical Indo-Tibetan metrical works, and, more characteristically, the dense "obscure" poetry of the post-Cultural Revolution years in China ( 1980s onward) for which the author is particularly well known. His work is often semiautobiographical, written in a "docu-fictional" mode, announcing Jangbu's growing fascination for the screen. This book is essential reading for all those who wish to gain a more nuanced understanding of Tibet today.

Heather Stoddard is professor and head of Tibetan studies at the National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations in Paris.