Nicolas Tournadre is professor of linguistics at the University of Provence. He has taught at Inalco, at the University of Paris 8, at the University of Virginia (United States) and conducted research at the Tibetan Academy of Social Sciences. In 2000, he obtained the CNRS bronze medal. He is also a remarkable polyglot (Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, Slovak, English, German, Swedish, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Catalan, Hebrew, Mandarin, Standard Tibetan, Classical Tibetan, Kham, Amdo, Ladakhi, Balti, Dzongkha, Sherpa, Drenjongke, Hindi - Urdu, Persian and French Sign Language). Nicolas Tournadre is a recognized specialist in Tibetan civilization and language. He published at the Asian Library, with Sangda Dorjé, the Manual of Standard Tibetan, Language and Civilization (preface by Claude Hagège). He is the translator of "The Tragedy of the Lotus Garden" which will be published in November in the Asian Library.