Mystification, Religious Imagery, and Fantasy in Modern Tibetan Literature

This chapter opens a window to a fascinating culture that often figures in Anglocentric fantasy writing and yet, paradoxically, its own literature and culture remain largely unknown. Tibet, often represented as a mythical land that time forgot has its own complex and politically charged relationship with modernity reflected in its indigenous fantasy tradition. The chapter focuses on the modernization and urbanization of Tibet and discusses the complexity of modern Tibetan identity, in which traditional beliefs, myths, and religion coexist, albeit often uncomfortably, with modern values of progress, innovation, and rationalism.