The Challenge of Exile and Writing

Abstract

China's control of Tibet for more than fifty years has led to a gradual sinicization of Tibetan art, culture and literature within Tibet. However, in exile, Tibetan art and literature not only claim distinct Tibetan identity but also tend to tibetanize their foreign influences. The new Tibetan English literature in exile is one such example. Writing about Tibetan culture and identity in a foreign language and in new forms posits largely the same challenge to Tibetan writers as it has for postcolonial writers. Thubten Samphel's Falling Through the Roof (2008) is a successful experiment in problematizing the issue of Tibet and life in exile through the medium of Tibetanized English in the genre of the novel. Samphel's novel takes the reader back and forth in time as the novelist interweaves Tibetan history (the invention of Tibetan script, the Mongol patrons in Tibet, etc.) with the story of Tashi and Tibetans who live in exile in India after China's assumption of Tibet in 1959. Samphel was born in Tibet in the mid-1950s and came to India when he was 6–7 years old. He is a member of the Central Tibetan Administration in India. This interview with him, conducted in Dharamsala in December 2010, introduces the new Tibetan English literature in exile and brings out aspects of exile, education, writing, language and Tibetan identity.

• education
• exile
• identity
• language
• Tibet
• writing