Without Ever Reaching the Summit

March 30, 2020
Cognetti (The Eight Mountains) presents a delightful travelogue of his transformative visit to the Dolpo region of Nepal. To celebrate his 40th birthday, Cognetti leaves his home in the Italian Alps and joins, with a couple friends, a group of about 20 others on a monthlong hike through Nepal. Inspired by the trek Peter Matthiessen chronicled in The Snow Leopard, Cognetti sees his expedition as a pilgrimage in which the purpose is not to reach a summit or a temple, but to travel and feel welcomed by the landscape rather than challenged by it. While suffering from altitude sickness, Cognetti navigates the frothy Suli Gad river, glacier capped mountains, ancient monasteries, a herd of blue Himalayan sheep, and tracks left by the elusive snow leopard. Along the way, he embraces the Buddhist mantra om mani padme hum (om, the jewel in the lotus) adopts a little black dog, and (through contemplation of the snow leopard) comes to respect the “unseen and untouched” presence of the mountain. Luczkiw’s lush translation captures Cognetti’s impassioned descriptions of the mountains, fauna, and the many gracious people he encountered along the trail. Armchair travelers with a spiritual bent will be riveted by Cognetti’s reflections.

April 15, 2020
A writer recounts his spiritual trek through a remote region of the Himalayas. In 2017, with his 40th birthday soon approaching, Italian writer Cognetti was inspired to embark on an expedition in the Dolpo in northwestern Nepal. Accompanying the author was a team of nine travelers, including a childhood friend from Italy, a painter he had recently met, and several local Sherpa guides along with their mules. Their plan was to trek hundreds of kilometers across often uninhabited mountains, ascending to heights over 5,500 meters. "There is a whole region," he writes, "above four thousand meters untouched by the monsoons or paved roads--the most arid, remote, and least populated part of the country. Perhaps up there, I said to myself, I could see the Tibet that no longer exists, that none of us can see anymore. This was the journey I wanted for my fortieth birthday, a fitting way to celebrate my farewell to that other lost kingdom: youth." Cognetti's journey was also greatly inspired by the Peter Matthiessen classic The Snow Leopard. Throughout, he liberally references and quotes Matthiesen, and while following a similar path, he revisits memorable locations from that book. The emerging parallels in their stories unfortunately expose Cognetti's weakness as a storyteller. The author is a fine travel writer, investing his narrative with vivid insights into the present-day Nepalese region and sharing the often grueling physical effects of traversing through these high altitudes. Yet his personal context for the undertaking is vague. Matthiessen's physical and spiritual journey is deeply enhanced by the intimate and emotional experiences of his past; his spiritually enlightening memoir is often moving. Readers unfamiliar with Cognetti's previous work may come away from this slender narrative feeling they know little about him. An informative but emotionally remote journey through modern-day Nepal. (illustrations)

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June 1, 2020

In 2017, Cognetti visited the Dolpo region of northwest Nepal to celebrate his 40th birthday, and the 40th anniversary of the publication of Richard Matthiessen's The Snow Leopard, a book that greatly inspired him. Cognetti is accompanied by Sherpa guides, his friend Remigio, and acquaintance Nicola. Matthiessen's work compelled him to visit remote areas, ancient monasteries, and a vanishing civilization. Descriptions of the majestic mountains, flora, and fauna add to the atmosphere, along with fitting quotations from The Snow Leopard. Cognetti's encounters with villagers can be seen as condescending including a proclamation that the region's yak butter tea (a staple often offered to visitors as a treat) is "nauseating." Conversations with his pals are juvenile. Cognetti's illustrations include maps, structures, nature, and only one person. VERDICT Of interest to fans of The Snow Leopard, and those fascinated by or interested in learning more about this geographical region of Nepal.--Susan G. Baird, formerly with Oak Lawn P.L., IL

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