Seven Years in Tibet

Seven Years in Tibet is an autobiographical travel book written by Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer based on his real life experiences in Tibet between 1944 and 1951 during the Second World War and the interim period before the Communist Chinese People's Liberation Army moved into Tibet in 1950. The book covers the escape of Harrer, and his companion Peter Aufschnaiter, from a British internment camp in India. Harrer and Aufschnaiter then tra... more

Seven Years in Tibet is an autobiographical travel book written by Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer based on his real life experiences in Tibet between 1944 and 1951 during the Second World War and the interim period before the Communist Chinese People's Liberation Army moved into Tibet in 1950. The book covers the escape of Harrer, and his companion Peter Aufschnaiter, from a British internment camp in India. Harrer and Aufschnaiter then travelled across Tibet to Lhasa, the capital. Here they spent several years, and Harrer describes the contempary Tibetan culture in detail. Harrer subsequently became a tutor and friend of the 14th Dalai Lama. At the beginning of the Flamingo edition of the book, a message from the Dalai Lama is present, which praises the book: "Harrer has always been such a friend to Tibet. His most important contribution to our cause, his book, Seven Years in Tibet introduced hundreds of thousands of people to my country." Two films have been based on the book.... less