Tibet, Tibet: A Personal History of a Lost Land
by French, Patrick
- Used
- very good
- Paperback
- Condition
- Very Good
- ISBN 10
- 0241950384
- ISBN 13
- 9780241950388
- Seller
-
GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, United Kingdom
5 Copies Available from This Seller
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Synopsis
When Patrick French was a teenager, the Dalai Lama visited his school in northern England. Fascinated by this exotic apparition, French began what was to become a lifelong quest to understand Tibet, the myth and the fact. He would immerse himself in the history, travel as the guest of ordinary Tibetans--nuns, nomads, and exiles--and organize Free Tibet activists from an office in London. Now he gives us a kaleidoscopic account of that journey.Part memoir, part travel book, part history, Tibet, Tibet ventures beyond our world-weary fantasies to discover the truth behind a culture's struggle for survival. In French's narrative, a land adored for peaceful spirituality reveals its surprising early history of fierce war-making. Here as well are the centuries-old legends of how Tibetan diplomats maneuvered deftly at the Chinese court, legends that inform to this day each people's view of the other. A perennial vassal state, Tibet nevertheless managed to preserve its distinctive culture for centuries--until the twentieth, when everything was destroyed with devastating speed by Mao's overwhelming forces. Today, as Chinese tourists take snapshots and buy kitsch at Tibetan monasteries, young nuns quietly continue the underground fight against Communist rule. In Dharamsala, over cappuccino, exiled monks pitch their cause to Western pilgrims decked out in gaudy robes. Tibetans recall the terrible days of the Great Leap Forward and eagerly ask French for news of the Dalai Lama. In the presence of this internationally revered spiritual and political leader, French retains a measure of his youthful amazement, but finally, inescapably, he comes to disturbing conclusions about His Holiness's role in his people's collective tragedy.With immense learning and a clear but compassionate eye, Patrick French gives us a sober new understanding of a culture's senseless catastrophe and allows us to see what realistically can--and cannot--be done to alleviate it.From the Hardcover edition.
Reviews
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- World of Books Ltd (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- GOR006059072
- Title
- Tibet, Tibet: A Personal History of a Lost Land
- Author
- French, Patrick
- Format/Binding
- Paperback
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Quantity Available
- 5
- ISBN 10
- 0241950384
- ISBN 13
- 9780241950388
- Publisher
- Penguin Classics/press
- Place of Publication
- United Kingdom
- This edition first published
- 2011
Terms of Sale
World of Books Ltd
If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase for any reason, simply email customerservice@worldofbooks.com and we will quickly resolve any issues you may have. If you have any other queries about your order, please email customerservice@worldofbooks.com. Our goal is to deliver to our customers the best possible service and we hope your experience of dealing with us lives up to our promise. If for whatever reason we fail to meet your expectations then please let us know.
About the Seller
World of Books Ltd
About World of Books Ltd
- Wob: Through Wob, we sell. We provide affordable, preloved books and media to customers all over the world. A book leaves our collection of over seven million titles and begins a new chapter every two seconds, enabling more goods to be reused.
- Ziffit: Through Ziffit, we buy. We give people around the world the opportunity to contribute to the circular economy, earn money and protect the planet, by trading their unwanted books and media.
- Shopiago: Through Shopiago, we help others. By sharing the technology that has grown World of Books Group into the business it is today, we're helping charities increase revenue and reduce waste through re-commerce.