Tibetan writer Tashi Dawa's mystical, imaainativei short stories, evidence ot an exciting new literary talent, make an important contribution to a Drofound- er understanding of the Tibetan world. Earlv stories "Plateau Serenade" and "Over the River* are straight- forward, delicate descriptions of Tibetan society, whereas later works, employing the methods of "mao- ical realism", show the influence of Latin-Amercan writers such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez. "Invitation of a Century", The Light on the Cliff and The old Manor" deal with the psychological tensions aroused by the conflicting demands of a society in flux where old values and traditional culture are being cha- lenged by the forces of modernization.