Title: Seven Years in Tibet Pdf
A landmark in travel writing, this is the incredible true story of Heinrich Harrer's escape across the Himalayas to Tibet, set against the backdrop of the Second World War. Heinrich Harrer, already one of the greatest mountaineers of his time, was climbing in the Himalayas when war broke out in Europe. He was imprisoned by the British in India but succeeded in escaping and fled to Tibet. Settling in Lhasa, the Forbidden City, where he became a friend and tutor to the Dalai Lama, Heinrich Harrer spent seven years gaining a more profound understanding of Tibet and the Tibetans than any Westerner before him.
Seven Years in Tibet was translated into 53 languages, became a best seller in the United States in 1954, and sold three million copies.
A special glimpse into Tibetan life I read this a long time ago, and remembered enjoying it. It was a pleasure to read again. Harrer did an excellent job of observing Tibetan life from 1944 to 1950 being careful to keep his own personal opinions/beliefs out of the way. By the time he was forced to leave because of the Chinese invasion, he was deeply attached to the people and the country. Though he didn't actually meet the Dalai Lama until late in his stay in Lhasa, Harrer and the young boy (he was just 15/16 years old) became fast friends and remained so throughout Harrer's life. He tried to visit the Dalai Lama at least once every year or two and several times the Dalai Lama visited Harrer in his own home.This is a very special glimpse into a way of life that was about to come to a sudden and violent end. It is difficult to comprehend that over 6000 monasteries were destroyed and only 12 remain. Thousands of years worth of Buddhist art and literature was destroyed or sold.If you want to know a little about The Roof of the World, then read Seven Years in Tibet. (Forget the movie.)A glimpse of Tibetan life in the 1940’s This book has two distinct parts: [1] the difficult journey that Heinrich Harrer (author) and Peter Aufschnaiter had reaching the Tibetan capital, Lhasa and [2] Heinrich’s experiences and observation of Tibetan life while living in Lhasa.In the first part, their difficulties were many – and it was, among other things, fortuitous breaks in the weather and chance encounters with kind Tibetan nomads that allowed them to even survive the journey. During this time, you see how difficult it was to travel at “the top of the world”, and you get a glimpse of the lives of the average Tibetan.In the second part, Heinrich (and Peter) soon become welcome guests of the Tibetan upper class. At this point, the book switches to glimpses of the life of the upper class, the religious pageantry displayed for the devout (and superstitious) multitudes and cloistered life of the Dali Lama.The book ends with the Chinese conquest of Tibet – and so the start, I assume, of the wholesale dismantling of the rich historical Tibetan culture described in this book.Outstanding This classic book provides an intimate portrait of the history, religion, and culture of Tibet. Sadly, it is a portrait of a Tibet that will never exist again. Like a beautiful jewel lost to humanity, Tibet shown for centuries, but is now lost. Well worth reading, several times. I have looked up many of the places and people in the text. Written by someone who was there, with first hand descriptions, this book is unique and a true treasure.
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