Secret Tibet

A view at close quarters of a mysterious and tragic civilization, much of which has now been destroyed. Fosco Maraini visited Tibet in 1937 and again in 1948. In 1951 he published "Secret Tibet", an account that was the synthesis of the two journeys. After an interval of close to 50 years he has returned to the text to revise, augment and update it in the light of the bruising realities of the Chinese occupation and the destruction of much of Tibet's cultural heritage, particularly during the violence of the "Cultural Revolution". Maraini's studies and journeys were driven by a desire to learn, to understand, to give and to receive, and his encounter with the people of Tibet, from princesses to peasants, aided as he was by a good working knowledge of the language and no need for interpreters, is a true meeting of minds. Above all he penetrates the secrets that make Tibetan Buddhism not on the sheet anchor for the nation's sense of identity but indeed a religion and philosophy as intriguing as it is paradoxical. In the closing chapter briefly rehearsing the history of Tibet, Maraini considers the Chinese claims for annexing the country and dismantles them with authority.