ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with James Hilton’s Lost Horizon (1933) and examines how his representation of Tibet is based on misconceptions and misinterpretations. It describes Tibet as Shangri-La, a fictional and mystical place. Hilton has created a ‘fictional utopian lamasery’ in Tibet where residents enjoy longevity. This chapter will also analyse how James Hilton as a Western writer shares the Western imagination of Tibet and represents the space from Western ideological standpoint. By peopling Shangri-La with major Western characters, he establishes it as a culturally colonised space. The chapter argues that during the interwar period when Europe was plagued by a sense of uncertainty and fatigue Hilton was motivated to create an imagined space of peace and refuge. It is rich in material resources, and it offers an environment of comfort and all provisions for spiritual and intellectual development of its inmates. Interestingly, the lamasery located in the place is cosmopolitan in its attitude. But in creating this space, he creates a Tibet that verges on the exotic. It has magical and invigorating qualities. The chapter argues that Hilton, while elaborating on certain exotic aspects that deviate from the larger pattern of Western imagination, participates in the Western gaze at Tibet.
