Mipam: A Tibetan Love Story

by Albert Arthur Yongden

This story, drawn from old Tibetan folk tales, has the psychological depth of a western novel. It is a love story woven around the search for the missing reincarnation of a great Lama. Along the way we glimpse a people whose spirituality is as exalted as the Himalayas. There is humor as well, when the hero encounters a bewildering group of Christian missionaries. In the depiction of Chinese culture, and the Chinese merchants of Tibet, there is a foreshadowing of the country’s tragic fate.

Genres: Buddhism, Philosophy, Historical Fiction

345 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1935

About the author

Adoptive son of Alexandra David-Néel.
Also know as Aphur Yongden or Lama Yongden.

Reviews

[Livjak Abraham · Rating 5 out of 5]

The original intention of the book was to present Tibet to the West from a Tibetian perspective. From this point of view the book is brilliant: it gives you a beautiful overview on the people: faith, traditions, culture, mindset... However, the real essence is how the writer wraps hundreds of deeper topics into a lightweight story. 5/5

[William Bozonnet · Rating 5 out of 5]

…. voyage incroyable, ailleurs

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Madame David-Néel, je vous admire.

[Florence Dambricourt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very relaxing. Nicely written. A good philosophical story. A apprécier sans modération.

[Alex Mitev · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Както сламката, изтръгната от ураган от браздата, на чието дъно е лежала, се закача в бодлите на някой храсталак, пада сред тревите на степта или пък потъва, погълната в пенливите води на някойй поток, така и срещата на плодовете от минали действия или пък тяхната зрялост отключват около нас внезапни бури, които ни отхвъхрлят далеч от пътя, който сме си набелязали, и ни запращат към неочаквана съдба."

"Поради липса на друга храна, пък и тъй като не желаел да прекъсва медитациите си, за да се нахрани, Миларепа, върховният аскет, духовен баща на Кахгиудпа, просъществувал почти цяла година, като се хранел само с варена коприва. Накрая с мъка забелязал, че не само тялото му не можело да стои право, но и че бил станал неспособен да размишлява и да медитира. И помолил да му донесат месо и бира. Нахранил се хубаво, духовните му сили се върнали, потопил се в дълбока медитация и получил просветление."

[Mésange · Rating 4 out of 5]

Curieux roman qui, je crois, ne peut réellement plaire qu'aux lecteurs qui s'intéressent aux coutumes du Tibet au début de vingtième siècle. Le propos du livre est de mettre sous forme romanesque les informations et documents que A.D. Néel a réunis au cours de ses séjours dans ce pays . D'un point de vue littéraire, l'intérêt de ce roman est limité.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, the book is written in a way you cannot put it down. It is a fabulous story of love and at the same time it explains the traditional Asian way of thinking and doing things to European people.

[Josh Maher]

Tibet

[Emanuela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bellissimo, illuminante, tocca il Cuore

[ThymeOperator · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely extraordinary book with a beautiful ending, whether you believe in Buddhism or not.

[Sacha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compelling story, fun read. This is a love story for westerners. A story saturated in Tibetan and oriental life of the early 20th century with clothing, travel, and food descriptions. There is a liberal sprinkling of Buddhist philosophy. Our hero is a lama as well as being a boy in love.

'The first Tibetan novel' is debatable. According to one of the introductions, the author was neither Tibetan, a lama, nor the sole author. Arthur Yongden was the adopted Sikkimese son of the western explorer, Buddhist, and writer Alexandra David-Neel. Her hand is clearly evident in the writing. However, if we take the title to be part of the fictional work, it is a fair hook for a casual reader. This is a (western) novel in a Tibetan voice.

I was expecting something perhaps dry and heavy, but interesting in a cultural and historical way. This was an easy enjoyable read of dubious cultural and historical value.

This was really a 4.5 for me. Still, I've withheld one star because of the misleading title. Facts are perhaps too dear to me.

[Sita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most magical novels I have ever read. A haunting tale of love and mystery, of a tumultuous search for one's destiny, set in the highlands of Tibet. What makes this book extra special is that it is one of the very few that authentically captures the essence of Tibet as it was before the Chinese occupation, with all it's idiosyncrasies, mystery and varied culture. The author is a Tibetal Lama and adopted son of Alexandra David Neel (who was the first white person who entered Lhasa, in the guise of a beggar), someone who experienced Tibet from the inside and yet was very much in touch with his (western) readers.

The language and style is very beautiful, it feels like listening to a story.

I first read Mipam as a teenager, and it captured and broke my heart. It is a bitter-sweet book, yet full of hilarious moments as well.

[natasa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Két értékelhető momentum van a könyvben. Az egyik valahol a közepe tájt, a másik meg a végén. Akárhogy is nézem, ez elég silány felhozatal.

Nem akartam elhinni, hogy egy tibeti regény címen futó, ráadásul két ismerősöm által is egekig magasztalt könyv ennyire halálosan unalmas lehet. Főként ezért is tartottam ki a végéig.
A történetvezetés katasztrofális, a fogalmazás ritmus nélküli, döcögős, nélkülöz bármiféle írói tehetségre utaló jelet.
A szomorú az, hogy jól megírva remek könyv lehetne ez. De nem az. A csalódást okozók listáján a második helyet foglalja el nálam.

[Bára Jelínková · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tuhle knihu miluju. Krásný fiktivní příběh z Tibetu, kouzelný a čtivý. Mám doma dvě vydání a obě jsou navíc moc hezky ilustrovaná, to mám ráda.

[William Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun novel and an interesting look into the folk religion of Tibet.