THE JOYS AND SORROW OF AN ORDINARY FAMILY: A STUDY OF TIBETAN NOVEL

Abstract

The Joys and Sorrows of An Ordinary Family (phal pa’i khyim tshang gi skyid sdug) by Tashi Palden (bkra shis dpal ldan) is a Tibetan novel first published in 1991. The paper argues that the text can be said to be the first Tibetan novel in its strict meaning of the term. The article provides an analysis of the narrative structure of the story and its attempt to situate the events in the context of recent social history. In this respect, The Joys and Sorrows of An Ordinary Family imitates social realism of early Western novels and seeks to provide a social history of recent past.