The Secret Lives of Alexandra David-Neel: A Biography of the Explorer of Tibet and Its Forbidden Practices
EUR 14,49
Accomplished and exhaustively researched account - An accomplished and exhaustively researched account of the life of Alexandra David-Neel, explorer, scholar, mystic and heroine to generations. The Fosters meticulous research and obvious affinity for their subject results in a highly readable work that is part historical detective work, part travelog, and part cultural study. This book of broad based appeal will captivate students of history, armchair travellers, and anyone interested in Tibet and its people. There is no other comparable work available on this fascinating and timely subject.
A Complete Guide to an Adventurous Life! - I first found a photocopy of THE SECRET LIVES OF ALEXANDRA DAVID-NEEL in a book stall in Dharamsala, India. It was well-thumbed, obviously someone s guide to an adventurous life. I read it over and over as I trekked in the Himalayas, while imagining that I could see the nomads in tents, pilgrim Buddhists who crossed the countryside on foot, monks in red robes, bandits on horseback, grimy mystics meditating in caves, bears, huge curly-haired mastiff dogs, and all the beautiful brown, almond-eyed Tibetans that the French woman explorer saw in that vast landscape of mountains and incredibly blue sky. THE SECRET LIVES OF ALEXANDRA DAVID-NEEL is a guide to a land of mist and mystery that we will never see again. The explorer arrived in Lhassa in 1924, disguised as a beggar--a women who traveled with a wash cloth, bath tub, a pot to cook in, and dried cereal to eat. Eventually, she traveled with only what she could carry, without porters, guides or friends, except for her devoted adopted son, an enlightened boy monk who sought adventure. People wonder why she traveled alone to the Land of the Snows. I marvel that she did it at all. Highly recommended for world and arm chair travelers!
well-researched biography of a truly impressive woman - David-Neel herself is a truly inspiring example of a woman following her own path to be all she could be in an life that spans the end of last century and the first half of this one.This book is a well-written biography that reads very easily and story-like without being novel-ized. Authors are clearly pained about having limited access to some of her personal documents, but have worked hard to document and put together a cohesive picture of her life. They admit to having read between the lines in some cases. They also do a great job of conveying enthusiasm (almost envy ,-)for David-Neel s achievements and research into tibetan lore and buddhism.