Книгата „Човекът от Еверест“ е не просто разказ за един обикновен човек, който се изкачва до най-високата точка на Земята, а откровена изповед с благодарност и смерение. Тенсинг не веднъж отбелязва, че двамата с Хилъри изкачват Еверест само защото други преди тях са проправили пътя. Ето защо победата не принадлежи на един човек или на една нация, а на цялото човечество. Норгей се ражда в подножието на Хималаите и посвещава живота си на планината. С помощта на американският писател Джеймс Рамзи Улмантой проследява пътя си до върха, като последователно разказва за британските експедиции от северната стена, ужасяващата експедиция до Нанда Деви; нелегалнич опит да изкачат Еверест с Ърл Денман; швейцарските експедиции, които достигат регордна за времето си височина; и разбира се, за експедицията на сър Двон Хънт, която в крайна сметка изкачва върха. В своята автобиография Норгей не просто разказва за физическите изпитания и саможертвите си в планината, а и за всичко, което тя му е дала. За да бъде човек добър алпинист, смята Норгей, той трябва да притежава не само способности, а и спортменски дух и благородство.
„Тенсинг, един обикновен човек от планините, който за нула време се превърна в международен герой. Тенсинг, който винаги е бил джентълмен, никога не позволи на славата да повлияе на семплия му начин на живот. За мен беше чест да бъда негов приятел.“ Джон Хлавачек, бивш директор на „Юнайтед прес“ за Индия
„Тенсинг Норгей е бил на повече експедиции до Еверест от всеки друг и ако някой е „заслужил“ да достигне шърха, то това е именно той.“ Кристофър Ранд, „Ню Йоркър“
„Историята на един самобитен мъдрец, докосването до който беше за мен изключително удоволствие и преживяване. След което, струва ми се, съм по-богат в познанията си за Човека с главна буква, за истински стойностните хора.“ Симеон Идакиев, журналист и пътешественик
if you can find a copy of this book (it has been out of print for almost 20 years now) it is a mountaineering must. Norgay's account of the first assent of Everest, and the cultural backdrop of the Sherpa culture brings to question modern adverture ethics.
চমৎকার ঝরঝরে একটা অনুবাদ। যারা জীবনেও পাহাড়ে চড়েনি (আমার মতো), কিংবা পাহাড়ে চড়ার সাহস এখনও তৈরি হয়নি (এটাও আমার মতো!) সেই মানুষেরাও পড়ে ভাববেন, আহারে কতকিছুই না লুকিয়ে আছে ঐ দুর্গম পথের কোনায় কোনায়।
আমি জানিনা কখনো সে সুযোগ হবে কিনা, কিন্তু আমার পড়তে ভালো লাগছিল, যখন দুর্গম এক তিব্বতি মনাস্টেরিতে পাওয়া যায় হাজার বছরের পুরোনো পুঁথি। কিংবা সেইসব বীর শেরপাদের কথা, তুষারঝড়ে নিজের জীবন বাঁচানোর অমূল্য সুযোগ থাকলেও আহত সঙ্গীকে ত্যাগ না করে থেকে যান, পরিশেষে মারা যান দুজনেই।
পর্বতারোহণ এই বইয়ের মূল থিম, কিন্তু তাকে ছাড়িয়ে গেছে তেনজিং নামের পাহাড়-পাগল এক কিশোরের বড় হয়ে ওঠার স্বপ্ন; এভারেস্ট নামের যে চূড়ার ছায়ায় সে বড় হয়েছে, কিন্তু স্পর্শ করা হয়নি কোনোদিন, সেই স্বপ্নের পথে চলার গল্প; এভারেস্ট জয়ের পরে জীবন বদলে যাওয়া, কিন্তু তবুও আগের সেই জীবনে ফিরে যাওয়ার সাধ জিইয়ে রাখার গল্প।
পর্বতারোহীরা হয়তো এই বই অবশ্যপাঠ্য হিসেবেই পড়েন, কিন্তু আমরা এ বই পড়বো কেনো? কারণ, চূড়ার কাছে এসে যখন ক্লান্তিতে অবসন্ন শরীর, একটা পা-ও ফেলা যায়না, তখন শরীরের ড্রাইভার হন 'মনোবল' নামের একজন, যিনি মানুষকে চূড়ায় উঠিয়ে তবেই ছাড়েন। আমাদের এই দশটা-পাঁচটার জীবনেও 'আর ভাল্লাগেনা' স্টেজ আসলে সেই ড্রাইভারকে যদি আমরা রেখে দিতে পারি, নিশ্চিত থাকবো, সে আমাদের লক্ষ্যে ঠিক পৌঁছে দেবে।
Tenzing Norgay was one of the first two men to set foot on the summit of Everest, along with Edmund Hillary, in 1953. In 1952, Tenzing had co-pioneered the upper part of the Southeast Ridge, leading to the summit, with the great Swiss climber Raymond Lambert, but when he and Hillary reached the summit in 1953, Hillary spoke of Tenzing almost as if he were a child or merely a load carrier, describing how he had to pull Tenzing up a section of the final ridge like the landing of a fish and how he didn’t trust Tenzing with his camera to take his own picture on the summit. James Ramsey Ullman, who had written mountaineering novels, including THE WHITE TOWER, and BANNER IN THE SKY, interviewed Tenzing, and wrote in his name the biography TIGER OF THE SNOWS. This book is fascinating, not merely for Tenzing’s description of the Everest climb but also for his history not just as a climber, and not just as a Sherpa, but as a comrade to those with whom he climbed, for the adventures through which he lived, becoming the kind of climber that Western expeditions trusted for their summit bids, and for the people he met and befriended in his career leading to Everest. And TIGER OF THE SNOWS was the first real introduction of the outside world to the culture of the Sherpas, people who had migrated over the passes from Tibet to Nepal.
It is many miles and many years that have brought me here.… To climb Everest—which my people call Chomolungma—is what I have wanted most of all in my life. Seven times I have tried, I have come back and tried again; not with pride and force, not as a soldier to an enemy, but with love, as a child climbs onto the lap of its mother. Now at last I have been granted success, and I give thanks. "Thuji chey"—that is how we say it in Sherpa. "I am grateful." So I have dedicated my story to Chomolungma, for it has given me everything. To whom else should I make my dedication?
Tenzing Norway was the first man (alongside Edmund Hillary) to summit Everest, or Chomolungma, as the Sherpa call it. He accomplished this on his seventh try. Seven times on the world's tallest peak, seven times challenging the human body's limits, six times 'failed' and the seventh a success. Tenzing is a legend but what impressed me most about how he told his story was not so much the eventual summit but the journey towards it.
Perhaps going down the "disasters on Everest" or "worst tragedies on K2" Youtube rabbit holes has made me far more cynical of the kinds of people that try and do crazy first ascents—they seem reckless, selfish, driven by an ambition that blinds them to everything outside of themselves, and more often than not, hubristic. To treat a mountain that has stood there before us, that will stand here after us, as a monkey bar to be scaled or a quest to be 'conquered' reeks of conceit to me: the mountain is certainly not issuing you a challenge, and who are you to presume that?
But Tenzing speaks of Everest so tenderly that I cannot help but be moved by his dedication to his project. Of course there is also something quite magical about the story of a man who stands at the top of the mountains whose peaks he could not see when he was a child standing in the valleys of the Himalayas, gazing up in awe and reverence. His summit, then, does not reduce Everest as yet another 'conquered' peak, but there is that moment of pure euphoria and spirituality when the man meets the mountain.
"So Everest is climbed. My life goes on. In this book I have looked back at the past, but in living one must look ahead. Once—only once—in my new life have I done what I did so often in the old: climbed up in the dawn to Tiger Hill, behind Darjeeling, and looked out across the miles toward the northwest. There are no tourists with me now; only a few friends. And no need to talk or explain, but only to stand quietly and watch the great white peaks rise up into the morning light. But as I watch, it is no longer the same morning or the same year. I am back on this hill long ago, with my seven American ladies, and I am remembering what I said to them. 'No, it is not that one. That is Lhotse. Nor that. That is Makalu. It is the other one. The small one. 'The small one."… Perhaps that is a strange name for the biggest mountain on earth. But also not so strange, and not so wrong, for what is Everest without the eye and heart that sees it? It is the hearts of men that make it big or small. You cannot see it for long from Tiger Hill. Soon the sun is up; the clouds come. It is neither big nor small, but gone. And now I go, too: down to Darjeeling, my home and my family, my new life, which is so different from the old. One of my friends asks, 'Well, what is it like? How do you feel about it now?' But I cannot answer him. I can answer only in my heart, and to Everest itself, as I did on that morning when I bent and laid a red-and-blue pencil on the summit snow. Thuji chey, Chomolungma. I am grateful."
An incredible book not only about the ascent and conquering of Everest’s summit, but a wider look at the life of Tenzing Norgay and Sherpa culture, with some fascinating stories to tell along the way. Being a Kiwi, it was interesting to read, but a thoroughly enjoyable book to read and one I highly recommend to everyone.
This is a fabulous read! Really builds on the excitment of the first ascent of Everest. I think this is a must read for anyone who has an interest in mt. climbing or just plain adventure - so exciting!
I’ve been hooked on adventure memoirs for the past year or so and have read many stories of the Sherpa people and their accomplishments in the Himalayas and beyond. I’ve been fascinated by Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary’s first ascent of Everest for much longer than that.
I stumbled across a copy of this book after reading ‘Buried in the Sky’ (another fantastic and gripping read) and am so glad I bought it.
Tenzing tells his story in such a rich and truly fascinating way and brings readers alongside his failures and triumphs all the way to his successful climb of Everest. I loved every second of this book. If you’re an adventurer and share a passion for the great outdoors, this is a must read.
Man of Everest: The Autobiography of Tenzing Norgay Sherpa A tale of a man who conquered, an unconquerable beast standing tall and might over the earth with top soaring at 8,848 meters above the sea level i.e. Mt. Everest. The words inscribed and printed on the book came through the man himself which has been penned or typed by James Ramesy Ullman, an American writer. This book takes reader to the journey inside the life of Tenzing. While we turn the pages and run through the words, we time travel and become shadow of Tenzing and experience what he had experienced at various stages of life. The world where he came from, where he landed being curious and where he reached through his dedication, passion and listening to his inner voice. We also learn about all the experiences that he had accumulated through various journey both good and bad memories, the friends that he had gained and friends that he had lost during the journeys and expeditions. There are so many things he has taught us by just publishing this autobiography. Always be adaptive; always have your head straight and don’t get things clouded because of ego; strive for your goals with complete passion and love and you will reach it ultimately with dedication and things you have learnt from every effort to achieve it; you don’t achieve anything alone in mountains, your team effort makes it possible and your achievement brings happiness not just to you but to all the member of team. To experience the emotions, imagine what it have felt and how he saw the mountains and its beauty is truly a ride one should take in the words of this book
O začátcích výstupů na himálajské osmitisícovky. Ani sto let od té doby neuplynulo! S šerpou Tenzingem jsem dýchal horský vzduch, sledoval jeho druhy umírající v lavinách, držel palce zahraničním výpravám, mrznul s nimi v prostém vybavení a nervózně jsem prošlapával stopu do výšek, kde nikdy nebyla lidská noha. Tenzing nakonec na vrchol Everestu došel s Edmundem Hillarym roku 1953, ale vyprávění je o obrech z Himálaje, mezi které Tenzing a jeho etnikum Šerpů patří víc, než Hillary. A samotný slavný výstup je vlastně jen takovou rychlovkou - ty, které probíhaly před ním, a během kterých byla bolestivě hledána cesta, jsou mnohem zajímavější. Kniha je detailní v popisu výstupů (mnoho epic failů included) i ve směru portrétu společnosti v nepálsko-indicko-tibetském regionu před explozí turismu. Tenzingovi se podařilo hodně, včetně setkání s dalajlámou (furt ten samej) v Potale anebo Harrerem, britskou královnou atp. Jím nadiktovaná kniha je i pro ty, kteří k vysokým horám nemají vztah, ale zajímá je, proč (a jak) se lidé jsou schopní zaseknout a dřít, aby překonali něco naprosto nepředstavitelného. A co z toho mají.
As he says in this book, Tenzing Norgay climbed Mt. Everest and experienced a whole new world when he came down. Part of the two-man team who were the first to step foot on the world's highest peak, Norgay went from eking out a poverty-level living to becoming in demand public speaker and guest, as well as a focus of a tussle between Nepal and India over the Sherpa's nationality.
Tiger of the Snows isn't a particularly easy read-- co-author James Ramsey Ullman does his best to turn Norgay's oral history into a written one, but the style of the book gets in the way. It also takes a long time to get to what everyone is interested in -- the climb of Everest. The book doesn't disappoint at the point -- Norgay's recollections of the expedition are interesting and occasionally divergent from the "official" accounts.
The latter chapters were the most interesting to me, as they delve into the rapid transformation of Norgay's circumstances following the biggest climb of his life. It is nice to hear a Sherpa's perspective for a change.
Who hasn't heard of the famous Tenzing Norgay Sherpa? But who knew that he was born Namgyal Wangdi?
We get to read so many books by climbers from Europe and the Americas, some even by Russians or Japanese but it is a rare treat to read one that reflects the culture and voice of the people who are there in teh backgroudn making Himalayan climbing a reality. Add to that the historical perspective and you have a must read for any mountaineer and for anybody that loves adventure stories set in far away lands.
Why do we climb? For everyone the answer is different and I for one loved reading about what drove Tenzing.
Lovely book. Talked about life of the Sherpa people, tenzing's travels, and the preparation that went into claiming Everest.
I find I enjoy books written by mountaineers about mountains better than the "tragic" and "triumphant" stories of journalists or other joe Schmoes who happened to pay to climb Everest. A mountaineer writing a book tells a love story about mountains, not so with Joe Schmoe who tells a love story about himself.
Picked this book up from a second hand book store and am so glad I found it. Wonderful storytelling about an incredible moment in mountaineering history and all of the attempts behind it. Particularly fond of Lambert and the scarf taken up on his behalf, the overall attitude towards workers rights that Tenzing had plus his general positive attitude, the various tales of the yeti, and just generally the fun tales amongst the story.
The way Tenzing regards the mountain is beautiful- “Seven time I have tried; I have come back and tried again; not with pride and force, not as a soldier to an enemy, but with love, as a child climbs on to the lap of its mother.”
It also gives a brief and good depiction of the Sherpa community in Darjeeling and their livelihood. Very interesting!
Read this the week after Sir Edmund Hilary died. Very interesting to read the story from a Sherpas point of view. The background story of Sherpa culture was fascinating. Not a difficult read, but worth it if you can find a copy.
I thought this book was pretty good. I loved the imagery they used and that when they were on the top of the mountain. It was like they were on top of the world. They didn't need oxygen tanks anymore. It had a great ending.
An enjoyable and interesting read about the life of Tenzing Norgay, a truly remarkable man, up until and just after his conquest of Mount Everest in 1953.
See on vist kõige ausam raamat mägedest, mida ma tean.
Ma olen läbi lugenud hea hulga alpinismi-kirjandust. Kuid need on kõik "lääne" autoritelt. Sündisin mere ääres, õppisin ronima ja vot kui siis läksin mägedesse! Kuid Tenzing on sündinud Khumbus, Everesti lõunakülje all. Tema jaoks on mäed - kodu. Ja rahvas, kes mägede ümber elavad, on talle oma.
Seepärast kirjutab ta teisiti ja teistest asjadest kui lääne ronijad. Talle on võõras ja ebameeldiv kogu kõrgmägede ümber käiv poliitika - mis riigi ekspeditsioon kuhu minna tohib, kelle jalg on tipul esimene, millise riigi pea vallutusest esimesena teada annab. Ja teiselt poolt näeb Tenzing šerpade juhina ka korralduse köögipoolt. Kandjate, ebausu, altminekute ja ebaaususe, ümbritseva vaesuse ja samas ülirikka kultuuri poolt.
Tenzing ise on kirjaoskamatu. Ta küll räägib kümmet keelt, kuid ei loe sõnagi. Nii et raamatu "päris" autor on James Ullman. Ja ega me ei tea, kui paljud seisukohad on Tenginzi, kui paljud vari-autorite omad. Kuid igal juhul on lugeda põnev!!!!
A very impressive man. He and Edmund Hillary were the first people to reach the summit of Everest. That accomplishment changed the world, and changed Tenzing’s life. He wasn’t merely a porter, he was part of the climbing team. And his expedition with Hillary wasn’t Tenzing’s first on Everest. He had been a key member of previous teams that tried to tackle the biggest mountain. This book was written in 1955, not long after Everest was summited. In the closing pages, he says that he believes that eventually someone else will manage to get to the top of Everest. What would he think of the crowds that now go up that mountain every year?
На 29 май 1953 година двамата алпинисти - Едмунд Хилари и Тенсинг Норгей първи стъпват на връх Еверест. Тенсинг Норгей изглежда дребен човек, но е много силен, издръжлив и волеви шерп. Шерпите живеят примитивно и повечето от тях са неграмотни (шерпите нямат писменост), но пък са елита на хималайските планинци, поради особения характер на работата си. Околностите, където се е родил Тенсинг, са родината на йети, известен като „снежен човек“. В автобиографията си, освен подробности около изкачванията му, той обяснява и какво представлява този „снежен човек“ според него.
Tenhle úlovek z antikvariátu za pár korun byl fakt krásný čtení plný zajímavostí, moudra a pokory. Kromě Himaláje, Nepálu, Indie a Tibetu člověk pozná i poválečnou geopolitiku. Tak jestli na ni někde narazíte, doporučuju. Jo a taky je to první kniha, kterou jsem četla ve dvou - střídavým předčítáním.
This book should be part of social studies in middle school. Tenzing speaks so much more than just the act of climbing Everest and the difficulty he faced doing so, but he speaks on nationalism and racism and inclusivity in a way that made me wish i’d come upon this book earlier in my life.
Много вдъхновяваща история, показваща как един обикновен човек от Изтока вижда света и как му се отразява сблъсъкът със Запада, неговите идеи, конфликти и вечна надпревара. Толкова различен, семпъл и пълен с благодарност поглед към живота, хората и природата.