First published in Norwegian as: Høyt : en reise i Himalaya. Oslo : Kagge Forlag, 2020. Includes bibliographical references (pages 574-578).
Contents:
First stage -- The new Silk Road -- High stakes -- Family planning in fairyland -- Feast and fast -- Love in the time of the Taliban -- Border crossing -- Paradise with a curfew -- The highest battlefield in the world -- Of gods and men -- Little Tibet -- Emptiness and the pursuit of radio waves -- The source -- Champagne of the mountains -- The princess without a kingdom -- Naked treasures -- The secretive forest ranger -- Gross national happiness -- India's wild east -- For tomorrow -- Second stage -- Child goddesses -- Busy at the top -- Stories from the capital -- The prince who did not want to be king -- The snow leopard -- The thirsty god -- Terra nullis -- The lost congregation -- The middle of the world -- The Chinese concubine -- Scheduled flight to Shangri-La -- Kingdom of women.
Summary:
An ambitious and magnificent new travelogue by bestselling and prize-winning author Erika Fatland (The Border and Sovietistan), on a journey along the Himalaya. The Himalaya weave through five very different countries, where the world religions of Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism are mixed with ancient shamanic religions. Countless languages and vastly different cultures live in the secluded mountain valleys. Modernity and tradition collide, while the great powers fight for influence. We have read about mountain climbers on their way up Mount Everest and about travellers on the spiritual quest for Buddhist monasteries. But how much do we know about the people living in the Himalaya? Fatland invites us into close encounters with the many peoples of the region, and at the same time takes us on a dizzying journey at altitude through incredible landscapes and dramatic, unknown world histories - all the way to the most volatile human conflicts of our times.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.