Kundun: A Biography of the Family of the Dalai Lama

Craig's book is the story of China's invasion of Tibet and the exile of the 14th Dalai Lama. His Holiness, or Kundun (the Presence), and his family were forced to flee into India, leaving behind a centuries-old religious tradition vested in extraordinary architecture, artistic treasures and a monastic community. Craig's story is the story of the dispossession not only of the Dalai Lama and his family but also of all the people of Tibet. Craig narrates the Dalai Lama's struggle to establish a government in exile and his community's struggle to sustain the religious institutions developed over centuries. The portrait of the Dalai Lama that emerges is of a religious leader dedicated to preserving the wisdom of his religious tradition, even in exile. Craig, author of Blessings: Man from a Far Country, A Portrait of John Paul II, provides an in-depth look at the historical circumstances, family environment and political education of the Dalai Lama. (Oct.) FYI: Craig's book addresses much of the same material that is dealt with in three movies out this fall: Martin Scorsese's Kundun, TriStar's Seven Years in Tibet and Free Tibet, a documentary of the 1996 Tibetan Freedom Concert.