Tethong, Tenzin Geyche: Dalai Lama

The current and captivating illustrated biography of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama provides an intimate and detailed insight into the eventful life story of the spiritual leader of the Tibetans. Written and compiled by his long-time secretary and companion Tenzin Geyche Tethong, this lavishly illustrated book with numerous previously unpublished photographs, interviews and personal memories paints a memorable portrait of one of the most impressive and revered personalities of our time. From the inside, Tethong describes the dramatic life of the Dalai Lama, now eighty-six years old, who was found at the age of two as the reincarnation of his predecessor, had to confront the superpower China at the age of fifteen and has not seen his homeland Tibet again for over sixty years. Early footage shows the four-year-old and his later enthronement at the age of six. We see him with his parents and siblings, as a young man with Heinrich Harrer and again and again in encounters with famous contemporaries such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Mikhail Gorbachev, Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama. Many of the approximately four hundred photographs shed light on the humorous character and unwavering cheerfulness of the man who even Mao flattered. The historical documents are complemented by numerous images of murals and book illustrations that illustrate the historical position of the Dalai Lamas in Tibetan Buddhism.
One of the sponsors of this book project is Ngari Rinpoche Tenzin Choegyal, the Dalai Lama's youngest brother, who accompanied him as a twelve-year-old on his dangerous escape into exile in India in 1959. He and Tethong have come together as "elders" of the Tibetan exile community to tell the true story of their brother, friend and leader, which is inextricably linked to the tragedy and hopes of the Tibetan people. The result is a vivid picture of one of the most important leading figures of our time.