Oyungerel Tsedevdamba, former Mongolian Minister of Culture & Jeffrey L. Falt read from the manuscript of their novel, The Green Eyed Lama, which has just been published by Grasset in French translation as Le Moine Aux Yeux Verts. This was followed by a discussion touching on themes evoked in the book, such as life under communism, and the Stalinist purge; the transformation of Mongolia into a democracy; and religion and culture in Mongolia.

Oyungerel Tsedevdamba studied planning economy in the USSR and, after the fall of communism, she earned a Master’s Degree in Market Economy in Russia. She subsequently received a Master’s degree in International Policy Studies from Stanford University. She served as Adviser to the Prime Minister of Mongolia and subsequently to the President of Mongolia on human rights and civic participation. In 2015 Oyungerel was awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Ministry of Culture of France for her efforts to end the death penalty in Mongolia and for her work in preserving and protecting Mongolia’s cultural heritage, including the much publicized Tyrannosaurus bataar case. Oyungerel is the author of 11 books.