Ocean, As Much As Rain

Stories, Lyrical Prose, and Poems from Tibet

Tsering Woeser author Fiona Sze-Lorrain translator Dechen Pemba translator Fiona Sze-Lorrain editor Dechen Pemba editor

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Duke University Press

Published:10th Feb '26

Should be back in stock very soon

This paperback is available in another edition too:

Ocean, As Much As Rain cover

Ocean, as Much as Rain presents for the first time in the English-language world a collection of masterfully translated literary writings by prominent Tibetan writer Tsering Woeser. In these stories, lyrical essays, and poetry, Woeser interweaves texts, photographs, silences, and documentary details. Featuring a distinctively imaginative use of satire and digressive rhetoric, Woeser’s stories bring to life Tibetan characters whose lives are entwined with politics, history, and religion. Woeser illuminates the ruins and places that she has come across during her various sojourns in Chinese-ruled Tibet, reviving sites from the past of her parents and their generation. These writings range from ingenious retellings of cultural encounters and confrontation to insightful commentaries on ecological issues and tourism in Tibet that never shun contradictions, dilemmas, or questions about the future. With an introduction by Fiona Sze-Lorrain and an author interview by editors-translators Sze-Lorrain and Dechen Pemba, Ocean, as Much as Rain is a landmark publication that celebrates the work of a steadfast dissident and a leading Tibetan literary figure of our times.

Ocean, as Much as Rain is more than just a book; it’s an act of bearing witness. It’s a testament to the enduring strength of the Tibetan spirit and a powerful reminder of the importance of preserving cultural heritage in the face of political adversity. Highly recommended for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of Tibet and the human condition.” - Tsering Shakya, author of The Dragon in the Land of Snows

"Tsering Woeser, a Tibetan author and activist, has been one of the most essential voices on Tibet writing within China for decades. That comes at a price — she is unable to leave the country, where her books are banned. Which makes the work of translating her all the more valuable, as it is in this upcoming collection of her essays and poems, skilfully curated and translated by Fiona Sze-­Lorrain with Dechen Pemba."—China Books Review

"Woeser’s unique position as an insider in Tibet with direct access to places and people and at the same time a brave objective observer have turned her into one of the most valuable Tibetan voices of the first three decades of the twenty-first century."—Kamila Hladíková, High Peaks Pure Earth

ISBN: 9781478033110

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 340g

210 pages