Windows To The World

Lost Horizon


James Hilton










In those post war days of the early part of the twentieth Century, when bad times were the norm,James Hilton published this novel about an imaginary place hidden deep in the Himalaya's. A group of four people are aboard an airplane that is hi jacked as it takes off from war torn Northern India and heads to an unknown location. It  is evident from what they can see from the windows that they are crossing almost a thousand miles of mighty peaks that are covered for the most part with snow. When they finally touch down it is with a crash and the pilot is killed before he can tell them the reasons for this voyage.

After landing a trekking group of Tibetans lead by an ancient Chinese gentleman called Chang encourages them to come to a nearby Lamasery for recuperation. They have no real choice because if they stayed with the downed craft they would surely die. Their destination is in a nearby valley where the weather is quite clement and the people are friendly. This place is called Shangri-la. This is in the valley of the Blue Moon.

The party consists of a British diplomat Conway, his subordinate, young man in his mid twenties who is quick to anger, a middle-aged  female missionary and an American who is unknown to the rest of the group. As this quartet settles in at Shangri-la, they find it very beautiful with wonderful vistas and all the modern amenities which seem so unlikely in this desolate spot. After that they at first begin to try to make plans for rescue only to be met with a lot of reasons why leaving is not reasonable at present.


Chang explains that this is a lamasery with no particular religion ascendant and that it is based on a combination of philosophies the most important of which is moderation in all things. He urges the group to forget their woes for a while and wait for a possible rescue as new porters bringing goods will be there to escort them through the very dangerous passages that most people never survive. The only newcomers to the Valley of the Blue Moon are like themselves, lost on their way and usually at death's door. Many have stayed relishing the tranquility away from a doomed world.

The question is what would you do, would you stay or would you risk your life to leave?