Seven Years in Tibet (Cornerstone Editions) (Flamingo Modern Classics)

by Heinrich Harrer

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.

More recently made into a film starring Brad Pitt, Seven Years in Tibet is a stunning story of incredible courage and self-reliance by one of the twentieth century's best travel writers.

• ISBN10: 0330200763
• ISBN13: 9780330200769
• Publish Date: 6 February 1970
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 8 April 1992
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan
• Imprint: Macmillan
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 272
• Language: English

Reviews

[adamfortuna]

I've always been fascinated by Tibet – especially pre-takeover by China in the 1950s. Seven Years is an exploration into that coupled with a book on war (escaping it), travel, mountaineering and making friends along the way. It's quickly become one of my favorite books. While Heinrich the man is obviously shown in the best light in this book, it's hard to forget his background. He was a Nazi and husband who ran away from both to climb mountains in the Himalayas. Seven Years is in many ways the "Eat, Prey, Love" of the 50s – both with characters dashing off to adventures. In Harrer's case, he ate whatever he could find (or be given), pray to not be caught and dragged back to internment in India and fall in love with Tibet. In many ways Tibet is the main character and the cause for all good and bad within his time there.