The Murmur

Heinrich Harrer was born in 1912, in Carinthia. Following his adventures in Tibet, he participated in many mountaineering expeditions and wrote numerous books. Harrer currently resides in Liechtenstein.

This book is a real mixed bag, with some really great insight into this closed and intriguing xulture, but a lack of depth which I was really hoping for.
The book is the autobiographical tale of Heinrich Harrer, a German POW in India who escapes and make his way through the Himilayas to seek sanctuary in Tibet. Despite a suspicion towards Westerners, Harrer and his companion manage to immerse themselves in Tibetan culture, soon becoming accepted by the locals and even becoming teacher to the Dalai Lama, only leaving after the invasion from China.
I think it appropriate to start this review with Harrers own words taken from the foreward of my version of the novel:
"...as I have no experience as an author I shall content myself with the unadorned facts." And this is exactly what he does. The book tells of his journey, where he went, what he saw and the traditions of Tibet he was privy to, and this us very interesting and insightful. Tibet is a country which is fascinating to many, and the descriptions of the local traditions and people was something I really liked about Harrers account. It is very honest, and Harrer has had the privilege of being in the fold of a world very few will ever experience.
However, the unadorned facts wasn't enough and I found the book a little ploddy and disappointing. Harrer does not elaborate on anything - he tells you where he went, but not what it looked like or what his emotions were. At one point he says he visited a place that if he had to choose one place to remain for the rest of his life this would be it. Why I thought - there was no description of what it looked like or what made it so wonderful it would be his home for life, and there were numerous examples of this throughout the book where although I had been told of an experience/place, I actually feel I knew nothing about it.
This lack of description makes this a strange book to rate. As I've said, I did like the insight into the world of the Dalai Lama and to appreciate the world and customs he oversees, but having experienced all this, I still feel there is a huge part of the story I don't know, and I don't feel I saw the beauty of Tibet that I am sure exists, something Harrer must have seen but doesn't bestow on his eager readers.

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