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51st out of 80 books
—
32 voters
From Heaven Lake: Travels Through Sinkiang and Tibet
by
Vikram Seth
After two years as a postgraduate student at Nanjing University in China, Vikram Seth hitch-hiked back to his home in New Delhi, via Tibet.From Heaven Lake is the story of his remarkable journey and his encounters with nomadic Muslims, Chinese officials, Buddhists and others....more
Paperback, 192 pages
Published
October 12th 1987
by Vintage
(first published 1983)
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Excellent travelogue. Unfortunately, I had to abandon this book mid-way as the cafe I was reading it in was closed on the last day of my trip in Himachal Pradesh.
If you have an ebook, please let me know. I'd really appreciate.
If you have an ebook, please let me know. I'd really appreciate.
I am a bit at a loss, trying to think of why I like this book. I do not find Seth's writing style particularly interesting, but rather a bit dry. Yet that did in no impede on my experience of reading this book.
I bought this book a few years back, as I was interested in both Sinkiang and Tibet. Before reading, I was expecting some kinda of self-finding trip, simply on the basis that this is a travel account. I was disappointed, for the most part, in that respect. Big portions of the book are spen...more
I bought this book a few years back, as I was interested in both Sinkiang and Tibet. Before reading, I was expecting some kinda of self-finding trip, simply on the basis that this is a travel account. I was disappointed, for the most part, in that respect. Big portions of the book are spen...more
What is the best way to experience another culture? Learn their language and then promptly hitch hike your way across. This is precisely what Vikram Seth has chances upon. It is a gem of a travelogue, and what has won my admiration is that he is a Hindu pilgrim. Vikram captures the emotions of his friendship with the Chinese people, especially the tension between the majority Han and minority Uighars, mogols and the Tibetans. The travel abroad a truck as it crisscrosses across Sinkiang and Tibet...more
From Heaven Lake by Vikram Seth
Ostensibly From Heaven Lake is a travel book. The description is both apt and limiting. It is worth musing on the idea that travel may be merely a way of collecting a pool of nostalgia for future regurgitation. But this particular description of the author’s journey through China – initially west-east and then north-south in the early 1980s – does not seem to have added very much potential fuel to future’s recollected fires.
At the time it was hardly common for an i...more
Ostensibly From Heaven Lake is a travel book. The description is both apt and limiting. It is worth musing on the idea that travel may be merely a way of collecting a pool of nostalgia for future regurgitation. But this particular description of the author’s journey through China – initially west-east and then north-south in the early 1980s – does not seem to have added very much potential fuel to future’s recollected fires.
At the time it was hardly common for an i...more
An Indian in China. In the early 80s. Interesting.
Author: Vikram Seth
Title: From Heaven Lake
Time: 1980
Destination: All around China
Length: a few months
Type: mostly hitchhiking
Rating: 10/10
Indian novelist in China
[Note: I've been reading a German translation (which wasn't very good)]
The story: In the early 1980s, VS is in his late twenties and studies at a university in Nanjing (南京). He takes a school trip to the Northwestern parts of the country, where he miraculously gets his hands on a permiss...more
Author: Vikram Seth
Title: From Heaven Lake
Time: 1980
Destination: All around China
Length: a few months
Type: mostly hitchhiking
Rating: 10/10
Indian novelist in China
[Note: I've been reading a German translation (which wasn't very good)]
The story: In the early 1980s, VS is in his late twenties and studies at a university in Nanjing (南京). He takes a school trip to the Northwestern parts of the country, where he miraculously gets his hands on a permiss...more
Seth's journey is better lived than read: Yes, I'd love to travel through China and Tibet, hitchhiking through mountain ranges and meeting charming folks wherever I go. Yes, it would be fantastic to speak fluent Mandarin -- especially as an outsider, and particularly for a citizen of India. I certainly identified with his financial woes, appearing in an exotic country without any assurances of visas or sufficient pocket-change.
But Seth's style is incredibly dry: "First I did this, then I did tha...more
But Seth's style is incredibly dry: "First I did this, then I did tha...more
As a graduate student in Nanjing University, Seth used his vacation to hitchhike home to Delhi via Tibet. The result is a wonderful book, full of witty observations, good, clear prose and profound meditations on India and China. It’s a fresh and interesting perspective to this American reader: there is very little comment on the lack of cleanliness or crowded conditions, as travelers in the West often harp about. Also, Seth is happy to give the Chinese political system the benefit of the doubt:...more
Jan 16, 2013
dely
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
0-india,
z-indian-readers-challenge-2013
3,5
E' il racconto del viaggio in autostop che Vikram Seth intraprende per andare dalla Cina in India attraversando il Tibet e il Nepal.
Non avendo abbastanza soldi per un biglietto aereo e dopo aver ricevuto il visto per andare in Tibet (rarissimo da ottenere negli anni '80) decide di fare un viaggio più avventuroso.
Dalla Cina orientale alla Cina occidentale viaggia in treno ma poi inizia a cercare passaggi in camion che trasportano merci in Tibet. Deve affrontare la burocrazia cinese, torrenti c...more
E' il racconto del viaggio in autostop che Vikram Seth intraprende per andare dalla Cina in India attraversando il Tibet e il Nepal.
Non avendo abbastanza soldi per un biglietto aereo e dopo aver ricevuto il visto per andare in Tibet (rarissimo da ottenere negli anni '80) decide di fare un viaggio più avventuroso.
Dalla Cina orientale alla Cina occidentale viaggia in treno ma poi inizia a cercare passaggi in camion che trasportano merci in Tibet. Deve affrontare la burocrazia cinese, torrenti c...more
I have been wanting to read this book for a long time. In class 9th, the CBSE English textbook 'Beehive' contained a chapter named 'Kathmandu' which was an excerpt from the last chapter of this book: "Kathmandu;Delhi". I had always wondered about the details of Vikram Seth's complete journey, and now finally I was able to read it in detail!
The book is great, the details beautifully described. Although I'm not a fan of the author's lazy demeanor. Hey, this is a travel book! The main thing I notic...more
The book is great, the details beautifully described. Although I'm not a fan of the author's lazy demeanor. Hey, this is a travel book! The main thing I notic...more
Flute music always does this to me: it is at once the most universal and most particular of sounds. There is no culture that does not have its flute -- the reed neh, the recorder, the Japanese shakuhachi, the deep bansuri of Hindustani classical music, the clear or breathy flutes of South America, the high-pitched Chinese flutes. Each has its specific fingering and compass. It weaves its own associations. Yet to hear any flute is, its seems to be, to be drawn into the commonalty of all mankind,...more
As someone who doesn't generally like reading travel writing, I really enjoyed this book. Seth's account of his journey as a young man through parts of China one doesn't normally consider when thinking about this vast country is interesting, entertaining and thought-provoking. He wrote this almost 30 years ago now, and with China changing so rapidly, I really wonder what he would have to say if he retraced his journey today. There are descriptions of the natural beauty of the terrain he visits,...more
Novela que describe un viaje desde China hasta India haciendo autostop. Describe con un asombroso nivel de profundidad y detalle todas las vivencias de su viaje, ofreciéndonos una vista única hacia el interior de culturas milenarias como la china y la tibetana. Vikram Seth nos invita a viajar con él y descubrir las maravillas naturales que se encuentran en cada esquina de China y el Tíbet y la vida de los pobladores después de los revoltosos tiempos de la Revolución Cultural.
Sin dudas, una lectu...more
Sin dudas, una lectu...more
I loved this book. A simple tale, honestly told. A vivid description of travel of an unusual route through China as it was in the 1980's (I think) by an outstanding writer who experienced it as a traveller not a tourist. I loved this book so much that I borrowed it from the library and mailed it to my brother interstate so that he would read it, and then he mailed it back. This was witten before A Suitable Boy was published. It was not until years later that I realized who had written it, that i...more
From Heaven Lake is Vikram Seth’s first non-fiction book. First published in 1987, it tells the story of his travels through China, Sinkiang and Tibet in the summer of 1981. Seth was a graduate student at Nanjing University and decided to hitchhike home to New Delhi via Tibet and Nepal. He kept a journal during his travels, and this book is the result. With his command of the Chinese language and his garb, he was able to journey through places not usually accessible to tourists. His observations...more
Vikram Seth's “From Heaven Lake: travels in Sinkiang and Tibet” is an unusual travel book. Steering clear of all Lonely Planet Guides and regular travel routes, Seth manages to sketch a picture of China, Tibet, and Nepal from a hungry (quite literally) student traveller’s perspective. He was at that time a student at the Nanjing University. Taking time and money off from the Standford University, Seth stays in China for 2 years. When the time comes for him to return home, he decides on a mega un...more
Disappointment. It's hard to believe this book won the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award. It's a whiny, whiny travelogue. Vikram Seth is a whiny traveller. Or maybe, being a Pico Iyer fan, I expected a little too much from this. I haven't read A Suitable Boy or any of Seth's other works yet, but I would like to, and change my opinion of his writing.
A real gem of a travel book that I somehow overlooked until now.
My own trip to Tibet in 1998 was nowhere near as ambitious or arduous as this. Makes me a little jealous that I never learned Mandarin well enough to ride as a passenger in these Chinese trucks that Seth takes throughout the journey.
Lyrical and fast moving - I loved this one.
My own trip to Tibet in 1998 was nowhere near as ambitious or arduous as this. Makes me a little jealous that I never learned Mandarin well enough to ride as a passenger in these Chinese trucks that Seth takes throughout the journey.
Lyrical and fast moving - I loved this one.
I read the book before leaving for my trip to China. Like travel books by Bruce Chatwin, this is a classic. My travel was tame in comparison to Mr. Seth's. However, I could imagine about the travel he described through his incomparable language and wit as I was making my progress through southern China. A must read
One of my favourite authors writes about one of the most interesting regions I've ever been to: Tibet. Based on a travel journal, this is a very personal account of Seth's hitchhiking journey from China, where he was an exchange student, through Tibet to reach Nepal to eventually fly home to his parents in Delhi. In the 80s, it was still difficult to get a visa for Tibet, and there wwre virtually no strangers there. Seth describes not only the beautiful landscape he his travelling through, but a...more
This was the first book of Vikram Seth that I read. I was amazed with his proficiency and the way he described each and every aspect of his journey without making it boring. This was an amazing book, used subtle humor and gave an insight into a closed world. Loved it.
Oct 04, 2007
Naomi
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
People travelling to Xinjiang/Tibet
Shelves:
путешествие
This is the first in the long list of travel accounts that I want to read before heading off on my trip. I enjoyed Vikram Seth's 'A Suitable Boy' and fully expected to enjoy this account of his travels through Xinjiang and Tibet in the early 1980s. His account was fairly dry in places but it was interspersed with delightful humour and interesting insights. I especially enjoyed Seth's description of the people he met and the warmth and hospitality he received on his journey. He does spend an inor...more
Seth manages, with this book, to take you along with him through a short description of the ways and life of the Chinese and Tibetans, without being overly political, or for that matter, neutral. Which, is what a travelogue is supposed to be, in my opinion.
Hilarious, apprehensive and thoroughly adventurous journey through China-Tibet-Nepal-India by mostly hitch-hiking rides from friendly truck drivers. This is my first Vikram Seth book. Looking forward for other books written by him. 3.5/5
The best book on travelling in china. I love it particularly because its an Indian view on china which is so different to any other take on travelling there. Beautifully written too as you'd expect from Vikram Seth.
I have read this many times over. Seth at his best. His sensitivity coupled with subtle arrogance is a fine combination. He is by far one of the most important writers of the century. Loved The Suitable Boy.
really enjoyed this travelogue through Tibet in a difficult recent past.. great writer and real feel of the adventure of it all being affected by the plight of the Tibetans he meets
Easy reading about a difficult trip. In 1981, Vikram Seth (who later would write "A Suitable Boy" left Nanking University to travel through Tibet back to his family in India. Bad route and floods made for a challenging trip - but he also grew to know the truckdrivers who he traveled with. The only "bad" part of the book was that after reading it, I started feeling very restless. I've never been to China or along the silk road or Tibet; there are too many places to explore in the world. And as he...more
A trip I dream of taking but know I never will. Mr. Seth shares his experiences across China, Tibet, and Nepal, and I am grateful to have gone along, if only as a reader.
Jul 11, 2012
Anushree Rastogi
marked it as to-read
I'd really appreciate it if someone could mail me a copy of this book. I haven't been able to get this yet.
Loved the travelogue, it did provide a deep insight about the Chinese/Tibetan culture and traditions. But China must have changed a lot since the 80's when the book was written. Very interested in reading a modern day travel book across China. Let me know if anybody has any suggestions.
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Vikram Seth is an Indian poet, novelist, travel writer, librettist, children's writer, biographer and memoirist.
During the course of his doctorate studies at Stanford, he did his field work in China and translated Hindi and Chinese poetry into English. He returned to Delhi via Xinjiang and Tibet which led to a travel narrative From Heaven Lake: Travels Through Sinkiang and Tibet (1983) which won...more
More about Vikram Seth...
During the course of his doctorate studies at Stanford, he did his field work in China and translated Hindi and Chinese poetry into English. He returned to Delhi via Xinjiang and Tibet which led to a travel narrative From Heaven Lake: Travels Through Sinkiang and Tibet (1983) which won...more
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