Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #95562 in Books
• Published on: 1997-12-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

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.

Customer Reviews

An amazing story & engaging picture of the old Tibet
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 !

An essential read for everyone, ever!
"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.

Great book, shame about the film...
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)