Summary Of The Book

A travel book with autobiographical elements, Seven Years In Tibet is author Heinrich Harrer’s compilation of his experiences during his trip to Tibet between 1944 and 1951. What started as a mountain expedition to the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, went awry for the mountaineer when he was captured and put in a British detention camp in Ahmednagar, a place close to Mumbai. He was later transferred to another camp in Dehradun. This happened because Austria had entered the Second World War around this time, and the British officials decided to declare the mountaineer and his colleagues as enemies of war.

Harrer and his colleagues managed to escape from the detention camp. While most of his fellow expeditioners choose to return home, Aufschnaiter, another hiker, decided to continue with Harrer towards Lhasa. The lengthy captivity did not douse their spirits and they finally scaled Nanga Parbat. People believed that they had not survived their journey as a long time had passed since their departure.
After reaching Tibet, Harrer blended into the society and became an official of the Tibetan Government. Later, he met the 14th Dalai Lama and became his close friend and tutor.

Seven Years In Tibet was translated into 53 languages. It was a US bestseller in 1954, with over 3 million copies being sold after first being published in 1952. The book has also been adapted into films. Hans Nieter made a documentary that contained video shots taken by Harrer during his Tibet trip. Director Jean-Jacques Annaud released a movie titled Seven Years In Tibet in 1997, which cast actors Brad Pitt and David Thewlis as Harrer and Aufschnaiter.