Author Description

In 1956 Han Suyin was invited to attend the coronation of the King of Nepal, the Himalayan Kingdom known as "The Land of the Gods". Out of this rich experience she has now written a superb novel and an enchanting love story. The heroine is Anne Ford, a beautiful woman, the product of the current Western civilization which in gaining material prosperity has lost its hold on things of the spirit. To her, as to others, Khatmandu is a revelation. There she finds that all human endevour is directed towards the divine. And a love affair which started as a passionate, sensual experience takes on new meaning and a deeper understanding of the eternal problems of humanity - the significance of life and the place of love in the human scheme of things. But the story is not Anne Ford's only, for Han Suyin, drawing from her knowledge of the Napalese as they are, with their extraordinary gift for laughter and wit, their genius for music, sculpture, poetry and theology, has fashioned her exciting tale around a rich and varied group of Napalese and European characters.