Last seen in Lhasa - Claire Scobie

Some go to Tibet seeking inspiration, others for adventure. The award-winning journalist, Claire Scobie, found both when she left her ordinary life in London and went to the Himalayas in search of a rare red lily. Her journey took her to Pemako, where few Westerners have set foot and where the myth of Shangri-la was born. It was here she became friends with Ani, an unusual Tibetan nun who was to change her life.

Through seven journeys in Tibet, Claire chronicles a rapidly changing world -- where monks talk on mobiles and Lhasa's sex industry thrives. But it is Ani, a penniless wanderer with a rich heart, who leaves an indelible impression. Together, in a culture where freedom of expression is forbidden, they risk arrest. And they forge an abiding friendship, based on intuition and deep respect.

Evoking the luminous landscape of snow peaks and wild alpine gardens, Claire Scobie captures the paradoxes of contemporary Tibet, a land steeped in religion, struggling against oppression and galloping towards modernity. Last Seen in Lhasa is a unique story of insight and adventure that can touch us all.

Claire Scobie studied History at Cambridge, where she won an award as Best Features Journalist for the student newspaper. On graduating she worked for the Saturday Telegraph Magazine for three years and won the Catherine Pakenham Award as Best Young Journalist of the Year. Since then she has written for numerous publications including the Daily Telegraph, The Observer, Scotsman on Sunday, The Age, The Bulletin and The South China Morning Post. She has been living in Australia since 2001 but travels widely.

"Truly wonderful...not only a deeply moving and inspiring account of a friendship but also an enthralling insight into a vanishing world"
Mick Brown, author of The Spiritual Tourist

"Claire Scobie's refreshing book shows how people can see their lives differently"
Xinran, author of Sky Burial

"An intimate and moving account of a way of life that is fast disappearing"
Monica Ali, author of Brick Lane

"Claire Scobie brings a great eye and a great heart to this wonderful story of place, friendship and spirituality.
It's an inner journey as well as an outer one, but the detail, subtlety and surprises of the outer journey make her experiences of Tibet utterly compelling."
Stephanie Dowrick, author of Choosing Happiness

"Shows sheer journalistic flair"
Sunday Telegraph