 |
|
"Seven Years in Tibet" is Heinrich Harrer's memoir of how makes his way to the city of Lhasa, becoming a witness to the last great years of the Tibetan society before the Chinese invasion. His personal testimony records the echoes of a dying nation, a eulogy of a place that would soon be changed forever. A mentor of the Dalai Lama, Harrer also becomes the first Western influence of the man that became an internationally recognized figure who was exiled to India, an experience that Harrer shared through his political asylum in Tibet. From its very beginning, "Seven Years in Tibet" is a book that reads like an adventure novel. The author is caught in the crossfire of the dawn of World War II, where as an Austrian soldier belonging to the German military, he is taken prisoner by the British in Indian territory during a mountaineering expedition. He escapes with several fellow prisoners, looking to get to neutral territory as soon as possible. The mountaineer and adventurer in him wants to go to Lhasa. And this is where this enterprising soldier makes his way, knowing the odds are against him in every way. The adventure only begins for him as he arrives as a refugee in the Forbidden City, and the book celebrates this as much as his harrowing trek to get there. Once there, Harrer details what life is like for him in this mysterious society and what he witnesses amongst the people that live there. A refugee in a foreign society, he nevertheless embraces the surroundings around him, making his home in a place that was always tantalizing forbidden territory for any foreigner, whether Asian, European or otherwise. It is a story of how a man who finds himself in a radically different culture is able to find connections to those who are considered "exotic", and finds that despite the difference in culture, is able to connect with fellow human beings. Harrer violates much of what is considered convention for today's narrative nonfiction. There is very little dialogue and a lot of summarization, as he is trying to cram all seven years of experience into a little more than three hundred pages. But despite this so-called breaking of the rules, the tone and pace of the book is not damaged at all, and is quite exciting and engaging. Even as he describes the minutiae of his everyday life, the detail is so rich and beautiful that it is as enchanting as his daring escape into Shangri-La. Though Harrer remains in every way a European with a respect for Western culture, he subsumes himself into the surroundings around him graciously and willingly. He depicts the Tibetan society with the utmost respect and kindness, a dedication to the country that gave him asylum when he became a man on the run. Although he writes his encounters with the Dalai Lama in the same general style as he writes the rest of the book, his deep respect for the Dalai Lama comes through in his prose, even while he remains a Christian himself. "Seven Years in Tibet" is in every way a last testament to a lost society. Harrer's detailed account gives a concrete picture to a place that has been romanticized for its beauty and mystery. Harrer's attention to detail conveys emotion without being emotional, and from its harrowing beginning to its last minutes in the doomed country, provides one with a glimpse into what has been taken away by war and conquest. And the metaphor of a soldier serving in Hitler's army becoming a mentor to one of the best known international peace advocates also acts as bridge, showing that understanding and peace can come from anyone, anywhere, under any circumstances. |
