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Seven Years in Tibet (Paladin Books)
 
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Seven Years in Tibet (Paladin Books) (Paperback)

by Heinrich Harrer (Author), R. Graves (Translator)
4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
RRP: £8.99
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Customers buy this book with Seven Years In Tibet [DVD] [1997] DVD ~ Brad Pitt

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Price For Both: £11.97

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Product details

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Flamingo; Re-issue edition (17 Nov 1988)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0586087079
  • ISBN-13: 978-0586087077
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 13 x 2.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 16,059 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #2 in  Books > Travel & Holiday > Countries & Regions > Asia > Tibet
    #15 in  Books > Travel & Holiday > Countries & Regions > Asia > China
    #21 in  Books > Sports, Hobbies & Games > Climbing & Mountaineering

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Product Description

Review
'Like the voyage of the Kon-Tiki, it deserves to take its place among the few great travel stories of our own times' The Times 'Few adventureres in this century have had the combined luck and hardihood to return with such news as this. Fewer still have rendered it so powerfully unadorned.' Times Literary Supplement 'Some books, like some mountains, are lonely and unrivalled peaks, and this is one of these.' Economist

Tibet is a strange and wonderful land and Heinrich Harrer's record of his seven years spent there make a strange and wonderful story, a blend of personal adventure and interpretation of the mysticism and beauty, Harrer, a German, was interned by the British in a prison camp in India at the outbreak of war. His escape was relatively simple, as he writes it; he chose Tibet as his route of flight, intending to reach Japanese lines and rom there be returned to the German forces. He reached Lhasa, forbidden city of Tibet, and was so intrigued by the way of life that he stayed, putting his many talents to constructive use. Harsh weather- barriers against foreigners- all were overcome, and he became tutor to the Dalai Lama and enjoyed a rare relationship with this highest dignitary. Psychologically, the story is unique, as a rather arrogant member of the "Master Race" is won to the simple ways of a peace loving people, is deflected from his desire to fight for Fascism and concludes with a plea for understanding of his adopted, country Tibet. This is more than a first rate adventure story. (Kirkus Reviews)

Product Description
Imprisoned in India by the British when WWII was declared, Austrian climber Heinrich Harrer escaped, crossing the Himalayas to Tibet. Settling in Lhasa, the Forbidden City, he became the tutor and friend of the present Dalai Lama in this classic of adventure literature. Heinrich Harrer, already a famous mountaineer and Olympic ski champion, was caught by the outbreak of the Second World War while climbing in the Himalayas. An Austrian national, he was imprisoned by the British in India. By an almost super-human effort, on his third attempt he succeeded in escaping from the internment camp and fled into Tibet. After a series of remarkable 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 than any Westerner had ever before achieved. He became the friend and tutor of the young Dalai Lama and finally accompanied him into India when he was put to flight by the Red Chinese invasion. Made into a successful motion picture starring Brad Pitt, this is a stunning story of incredible courage and self-reliance set against the backdrop of a mysterious and magnificent culture.

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Seven Years in Tibet (Paladin Books)
87% buy the item featured on this page:
Seven Years in Tibet (Paladin Books) 4.0 out of 5 stars (15)
£6.99
Seven Years In Tibet [DVD] [1997]
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Seven Years In Tibet [DVD] [1997] 4.5 out of 5 stars (15)
£4.98
The White Spider
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Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion [2003] [DVD]
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Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion [2003] [DVD] 4.6 out of 5 stars (11)
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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews
5 star:
 (10)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing story & engaging picture of the old Tibet, 21 Jul 2005
By A Customer
I enjoyed the film and because of this wanted to read Harrer's own account, and wasn't disappointed. Harrer's escapes from British detention, and the hardships of his journey towards Lhasa, constitute a great adventure story and a window into an unknown world. His time in Lhasa, and especially his contact with the young Dalai Lama, is well told - we see a backward feudalism which to us is not attractive, but also a happy people with great reverence for their religion and traditions, and a young ruler with an insatiable curiosity about the outside world. This insight into the early years of the present Dalai Lama is one of the most interesting aspects of the book. Harrer left when the Chinese invaded in 1950, but knew enough to see that this was going to be a disaster for Tibet and its people, as has been subsequently documented in many books and reports. A superb adventure and a personal account of a vanishing culture. Read it !
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An essential read for everyone, ever!, 31 Oct 2000
By A Customer
"Seven Years" is certainly one of the best travel books ever written. Being a mountaineer, I had previously read Harrer's "The White Spider", which this surpasses, mainly as a result of the incredible story that it tells. Reading this book will give you a greater understanding of Tibetan culture and the beauty of the land than any other text I've encountered. Everyone should read this book.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, shame about the film..., 28 Nov 2004
By Ian A. Inman "Beefy_SAFC" (England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I read the book well before production of the film was even announced. I found the book to be well written in describing the author's journey, right from his internment on attempting to climb Nanga Parbat (Unsere Berg to the German / Austrain team attempting to climb it) and his escape and travel into Tibet. He goes on to describe Tibet prior to the Chinese arrival, a world in which World War II seems to have no relevance. The menace of the Chinese becomes apparent increasingly so later in the book when it is clear so-called 'liberation' is inevitable.

If you've seen the film, the book especially later on is a different story. Firstly, the film only touches upon Harrer's and Aufschnaiter's journey to reach Lhasa and on their encounter with the Khampa bandits who try to separate them and rob them (irony that later the Khampas were those that put up the longest fight against the Chinese - all the way up to 1974).

The film also places the Chinese People's Liberation Army in Lhasa at the same time as Harrer - this certainly did not happen. When Harrer left Lhasa, the Chinese had only advanced so far into Tibet and halted to force the 17 point agreement on the Tibetans and were still a significant distance away.

I respect 'patriciamcleary's comment that she enjoyed the film more than the book. I'm afraid I'm of the oppostie view basically because of the inaccuracies and omissions from the film. However, I can appreciate that for some, the film might be an easier going way of appreciating the situation in the run up to the Chinese invasion (although heavily changed to the book).

To sum up, an easy to follow book that gave me a picture of Tibet different to that which I saw when I travelled to Tibet in the summer of 1998 (admittedly I went there as a tourist). The Chinese have taken away much of what made this admittedly far from perfect former Shangri La special.

Ian (alias Beefy_SAFC)

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Tibet
It's a wonderful story about a man that just wanted to be free and basically doing something, not sitting around in a prison, so he escaped to Tibet and developed a great love for... Read more
Published 10 months ago by OK

2.0 out of 5 stars Stilted writing style and one dimensional characters
At the beginning of the book Harrer admits that he isn't a skilled writer. This becomes more and more evident as the book goes on and his style often feels like reading diary... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Rigsby

1.0 out of 5 stars Nazi propaganda
Nobody seems to have noticed that the reason that the British imprisoned Harrer was that he was a member of the Nazi Party, and thus a security threat and an enemy of democracy... Read more
Published 15 months ago by William Podmore

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
This is a great read about life in Tibet before it got truly opened up to the west and before the Dalai Lama's exile. Read more
Published on 16 Jul 2006 by Spider Monkey

5.0 out of 5 stars superb
this book is superb. having known nothing about tibet, i now can say i have at least a passing knowledge about this incredible country. Read more
Published on 19 Nov 2005 by John Harvey

1.0 out of 5 stars awful
i saw the film and was entranced by it: the majesty of Tibet, the enigma of its people. it was spellbinding, i literally couldn't move from my seat, i hardly dared breathe! Read more
Published on 1 Oct 2003 by Ms. Patricia M. Cleary

5.0 out of 5 stars Without doubt, one of the masterpieces of modern literature.
When I first saw the film, I was enthralled by the scenery,the music but most of all the story. This is such a beautiful, sad and moving book that it will either leave you wanting... Read more
Published on 13 Dec 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-written and fascinating tale
Picked up this book second hand as something a little bit different and to tell the truth I did not have high hopes. Read more
Published on 9 Aug 2000 by Matt Pointon

3.0 out of 5 stars Heavy handed style makes this a labour of love
A fascinating story of Harrer's time in Tibet, after escaping from a British PoW camp in India. Sadly a heavy handed style - either his own writing style or as a result of the... Read more
Published on 16 Feb 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing account of a true journey
This book is a true account of Harrers escape from a second world war prison in India and his arduous journey through Tibet "The Roof of the World". Read more
Published on 20 Sep 1999 by ilockyer@ntlworld.com

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