Tales from the Tibetan Operas

In this engaging history, Kilty (Understanding the Case Against Shukden), translator for the Institute of Tibetan Classics, introduces and contextualizes the “so-called eight great operas of the Tibetan-speaking world.” Composed mainly during the 14th century, these Buddhist tales were frequently performed as lhamo (Tibetan folk opera), which Kilty explores at length before explaining specific practices associated with each opera, outlining the origins of the narratives (typically set in a mythical India or Tibet), and exploring their themes of moral instruction. The tales themselves, the full text of which appear here as translated by Kilty, range from straightforward Buddhist morality plays (Drimé Kundun, which traces a character’s quest for enlightenment) to more typical folktales of adventure and trickery, such as Drowa Sangmo—though all exhibit a didactic element demonstrating the right path through life. While the stories are necessarily drier as text than performance, Kilty’s translation is fluid, and captures the oral origins of the operas with all dialogue rendered in imagery-rich verse. Accessible to the reader with little background in Tibetan culture, but with footnotes and page numbers to assist the specialist, this volume should help raise the profile of an important Tibetan art. (Aug.)