Tibet
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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 Tibet and Tibetans. I'm interested in oriental culture and Buddhism so naturally I loved this book. I did find it difficult to read at times but I think that was due to the translation, it didn't hinder my enjoyment of it.
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Stilted writing style and one dimensional characters
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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 entries with the dates removed. Consequently, interesting facts or stories are just bunged in seemingly randomly as a way of getting them in the book.
The insight into Tibet is great and Harrer definitely has a story to tell. Unfortunately, he hasn't got the skill or the empathy to develop any of the characters beyond one dimension and, as a result, the story is not as great as it could have been. Like Robinson Crusoe, Harrer simply instills his western view on what he sees and tries to mould what is around him to fit with home. He is forever on the outside and, according to his account, never tries to truly integrate with society.
So, an interesting albeit difficult read, and a good story that would have been great if it hadn't been written by a Nazi.
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Nazi propaganda
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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. Unsurprisingly, he then hooked up with another old reactionary bigot, the Dalai Lama. Sorry guys - forget the reactionary daydreams, wake up and know the truth!
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Excellent
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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. If you've seen the film you know roughly what to expect, but I found myself enjoying this book more than the film itself. The translation is excellent and the style is immensely easy to read and gets you involved in the story right away. A great read about Tibetan life and culture, as well as a story of one man's spiritual growth and development.
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superb
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this book is superb. having known nothing about tibet, i now can say i have at least a passing knowledge about this incredible country.
this is a must-read book - you're sure to enjoy it.
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