Galsan Tschinag, whose name in his native Tuvan language is Irgit Schynykbajoglu Dsurukuwaa, was born in the early thirties in Mongolia. He is the author of more than thirty books, and his work has been translated into many languages. Tschinag divides his time between Ulaanbataar, the High Altai, and Germany.
Taken from his ancestral home, Dshurukuwaa reunites with his siblings at a boarding school, where his brother also serves as the principal. But soon he comes to understand that the main purpose of the school—and for that matter, of the state—is to strip the Tuvan people of their language and traditions.
In the high Altai Mountains of northern Mongolia, the nomadic Tuvan people’s ancient way of life is colliding with the pervasive influence of modernity. And for Dshurukawaa, a young shepherd boy, this means loss—of his siblings, of his grandmother, and of his beloved dog, Arsylang.
