My Journey to Lhasa: The Classic Story of the Only Western Woman Who Succeeded in Entering the Forbidden City
"Involves us intensely in a world that no longer exists--that of free Tibet. . . . Fervent and admirably unsentimental . . . [David-Neel] had to exercise the utmost ingenuity to survive."-- New York Times Book Review
Originally published in 1927, My Journey to Lhasa is a powerful, entertaining record of danger and achievement that has become one of the most remarkable and inspirational of all travelers' tales. Disguised as a beggar, Alexandra David-Neel tackled some of the roughest terrain and climate, suffered primitive travel conditions, frequent outbreaks of disease, the ever-present danger of border control, and the military to become the first woman to penetrate Tibet and reach Lhasa--and the first Western woman to have been received by any Dalai Lama.
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An indomitable traveler, singer, journalist, and religious adept, Alexandra David-Neel (1868-1969) was awarded a Gold Medal by the Geographical Society of Paris and was made a Knight of the Legion of Honor.
"My Journey to Lhasa . . . involves us intensely in a world that no longer exists-that of free Tibet. . . . [David-Neel's] descriptions of the landscape are fervent and her understanding of the Tibetans admirably unsentimental. Her Tibet is not at all the philosophers' kingdom of Lost Horizon; it is a fierce . . . frequently dangerous place, where she had to exercise the utmost ingenuity to survive." -- New York Times Book Review
"A scholar of Eastern religion and Tibetan language, David-Neel was indisputably a fearless traveler, a rogue's rogue who, in 1923, disguised as an illiterate pilgrim, became the first Western woman to reach Tibet's forbidden city. Her account has the power to awe even today." -- Outside magazine
"The sort of thriller yarn that keeps you up all night and is too soon over." -- Ms. magazine
"As a traveler, she has performed a brilliant feat." -- New Statesman
"Fascinating.... A striking portrait of the Tibetan people and their culture, as seem by a most remarkable woman." -- Good Books for the Curious Reader
"In 1923, at the age of fifty-five, the author disguised herself as a pilgrim and made her way to Tibet's forbidden city of Lhasa. This is a lively account of her journey and a classic portrait of Tibet, its region, and its people." -- Bloomsbury Review
"David-Neel was indisputably a fearless traveler, a rogue's rogue. Her account has the power to awe even today." -- Outside magazine
"My Journey to Lhasa . . . involves us intensely. . . . [David-Neel's] descriptions of the landscape are fervent and her understanding of the Tibetans admirably unsentimental. Her Tibet is not at all the philosophers' kingdom of Lost Horizon; it is a fierce, filthy, frequently dangerous place, where she had to exercise the utmost ingenuity to survive." -- New York Times Book Review
