''The Rose of Tibet'' is a 1962

adventure novel Adventure fiction is a type of fiction that usually presents danger, or gives the reader a sense of excitement. Some adventure fiction also satisfies the literary definition of romance fiction. History In the Introduction to the ''Encyclopedi ...

Lionel Davidson Lionel Davidson FRSL (31 March 192221 October 2009) was an English novelist who wrote spy thrillers. Life and career Lionel Davidson was born in 1922 in Hull in Yorkshire, one of nine children of an immigrant Jewish tailor. He left school ...

Plot summary

Charles Houston (a teacher in London) makes a perilous and illegal journey from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

into the forbidden land of

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

during the unsettled time 1950/51, in the hope of rescuing his vanished brother. What he does not know is that his coming was prophesied a century earlier, and he is awaited by an impossible love, an enormous treasure, and the invading Red Chinese army. Houston travels to the Yamdring monastery, finds his way to the abbess and makes a perilous escape with her. The story is set at the time of the Chinese invasion in 1950.

Critical opinion

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquir ...

said of the novel: "I hadn’t realised how much I had missed the genuine adventure story until I read ''The Rose of Tibet''", while

Daphne du Maurier Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her grandfather was Geor ...

wrote: 'It has all the excitement of ''

King Solomon's Mines ''King Solomon's Mines'' (1885) is a popular novel by the English Victorian adventure writer and fabulist Sir H. Rider Haggard. It tells of a search of an unexplored region of Africa by a group of adventurers led by Allan Quatermain for the ...

Author Barry Gifford considers this book the one he wishes he had written. In his collection of essays entitled ''The Cavalry Charges'' he writes that it is: "a genuine work of literature. I was immediately charmed by the device Davidson employed to entice the reader into believing he's headed in one direction and then opening up an entirely unexpected can of bedazzling worms." Gifford goes on to say: "I re-read ''The Rose of Tibet'' every few years and each time am transfixed, transported. Among so many books, poems and songs that I love, it's the one that I wish I'd written. ''The Rose of Tibet'' is also the one novel I'd really love to write the screenplay for." In the introduction to the 2016 edition,

Anthony Horowitz Anthony John Horowitz, (born 5 April 1955) is an English novelist and screenwriter specialising in mystery and suspense. His works for children and young adult readers include ''The Diamond Brothers'' series, the ''Alex Rider'' series, and ''T ...

writes: "At the heart of the story is a remarkable love affair and a huge treasure... All of these evoke

Rider Haggard Sir Henry Rider Haggard (; 22 June 1856 – 14 May 1925) was an English writer of adventure fiction romances set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and a pioneer of the lost world literary genre. He was also involved in land reform t ...

and I still wonder how Davidson manages to make his fantastical descriptions seem so real... There is also a wonderful array of unforgettable characters to meet along the way." The commentator,

Marcel Berlins Marcel Berlins (30 October 1941 – 31 July 2019) was a French-born lawyer, legal commentator, author, broadcaster and columnist. He was best known for his work in the United Kingdom, writing for British national newspapers ''The Times'' and ''T ...

, reviewed the book in 2016, writing: "''The Rose of Tibet'', if it is to be classified, is an adventure thriller, peppered with history, religion and politics... Under the author's extraordinary skill, it all seems believable."

References

1962 British novels British thriller novels Fiction set in 1950 Fiction set in 1951 Tibet in fiction Victor Gollancz Ltd books {{1960s-thriller-novel-stub