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The Song of King Gesar Alai

The Song of King Gesar By Alai

The Song of King Gesar by Alai


$96.99
Condition - Very Good
Only 1 left
SeriesMyths

Summary

The first English translation of the founding myth of Tibet

The Song of King Gesar Summary

The Song of King Gesar by Alai

The Song of King Gesar is one of the world's great epics, as significant for Tibetans as the Odyssey and Iliad for the ancient Greeks, and as the Ramayana and Mahabarata in India. Passed down in song from one generation to the next, it is sung by Tibetan bards even today. Set partly in ancient Tibet, where evil spirits mingle with the lives of humans, and partly in the modern day, The Song of King Gesar tells of two lives inextricably entwined. Gesar, the youngest and bravest of the gods, has been sent down to the human world to defeat the demons that plague the lives of ordinary people. Jigmed is a young shepherd, who is visited by dreams of Gesar, of gods and of ancient battles while he sleeps. So begins an epic journey for both the shepherd and the king. The wilful child of the gods will become Gesar, the warrior-king of Ling, and will unite the nation of Tibet under his reign. Jigmed will learn to see his troubled country with new eyes, and, as the storyteller chosen by the gods, must face his own destiny.

The Song of King Gesar Reviews

A thrilling, beautiful and moving epic, reminding us again of the timeless and exhilarating magic of pure story-telling. Alai opens up a world previously unknown to us, a foreign and yet strangely familiar world -- Tan Twan Eng, author of The Garden of Evening Mists and winner of the Man Asian Literary Prize
Gives perspective to a strange and lovely chain of old tales * * The Sunday Times * *
Shrewdly satiric and wonderfully entertaining * * Booklist on RED POPPIES * *
[A] witty first novel.. an immensely enjoyable portrait of a thoroughly unusual figure... One of the best of the wave of contemporary Chinese novels translated in recent years * * Publishers Weekly on RED POPPIES * *
[Red Poppies carries] readers into the heart of an exciting if tragic period of history. Drawing from Tibetan legend, landscape, and history, Alai has put together quite a tale * * School Library Journal on RED POPPIES * *
The Song of King Gesar is one of the world's greatest epics, as significant in Tibet as the Ramayana and Mahabarata in India * * Asian Books Blog * *

About Alai

Alai was born in 1959 in Sichuan Province, of Rgyalrong Tibetan descent. As well as critically acclaimed collections of poetry, short stories and essays, he has written a number of novels, including the internationally bestselling Red Poppies: A Novel of Tibet, which was shortlisted for the 2002 Kiriyama Prize. Howard Goldblatt and Sylvia Li-chun Lin are award-winning translators who have rendered the works of many of China's and Taiwan's finest writers into English. They live happily in Boulder, Colorado, USA.

Additional information

GOR005766781
9781847672339
1847672337
The Song of King Gesar by Alai
Used - Very Good
Hardback
Canongate Books
2013-11-07
400
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - The Song of King Gesar