Synopsis:
Heinrich Harrer, already a famous mountaineer and Olympic ski champion, was caught by the outbreak of World War II while climbing the Himalyas. Being an Austrian, he was interned in India. On his third attempt, he succeeded in escaping from the internment camp and fled into Tibet. After a series of experiences in a country never crossed before by a Westerner, Harrer reached the Forbidden City of Lhasa. He stayed there for seven years, learned the language and acquired a greater understanding of Tibet and the Tibetans. He became friend and tutor to the young Dalai Lama and finally accompanied him into India when he was put to flight by the Red Chinese invasion. This film tie-in edition includes an epilogue from the author describing his return to Tibet in the 1990s.
Review:
Originally published in 1953, this adventure classic recounts Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer's 1943 escape from a British internment camp in India, his daring trek across the Himalayas, and his happy sojourn in Tibet, then, as now, a remote land little visited by foreigners. Warmly welcomed, he eventually became tutor to the Dalai Lama, teenaged god-king of the theocratic nation. The author's vivid descriptions of Tibetan rites and customs capture its unique traditions before the Chinese invasion in 1950, which prompted Harrer's departure. A 1996 epilogue details the genocidal havoc wrought over the past half-century.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
