Tiger for Breakfast

In the first chapter of this book Peissel is in India, preparing to visit Bhutan - under invitation, to carry out an anthological survey. It is 1959, and in the week before his entry to Bhutan China invade Tibet and all hell breaks loose, ensuring that his connections are not made and his trip to Bhutan is off. Unsure of what to do, he is advised (by more than one person) to head to Nepal - to Kathmandu and to see Boris. Boris will help you, Boris will arrange everything...

And so off to Kathmandu heads Peissel, and meets the larger-than-life Boris Lisanevich - Ukrainian refugee, Restauranteur, hotelier, former ballet dancer, world traveller, friend to all the rich and famous, host of royalty and mountaineering royalty (Sir Ed Hillary), and much more...

Within a few days Peissel is sorted and heads off to carry out his survey (or which we hear nothing). At the end of chapter one, Peissel has determined he would like to spend more time with Boris, and obtains his assent to return with his wife Marie-Claire to spend six months in Boris enormous hotel.

And so that leads to the filling out of the biography of Boris, interspersed with the current events of the moment - the coming and going of guests; Boris's whims and chaotic plans; the day to day struggle for consistency in a country (as Boris puts it) with the operational ability of the 17th Century having only move on from medieval life with his arrival!

There is so much to this book that the brief outline only touches on it. Peissel makes the point that there is so much more he couldn't include due to “politics, diplomacy or simply kindness”!

Published in 1966, Boris was still going strong. He passed away in 1985 at the age of 80, a life more filled with adventures than most can even imagine. The book outlines his generosity, his view of the happiness of others being more important the accruing wealth, and always providing assistance to others.

Highly recommended. Although as is often the case with books of this era, the views on hunting of wild and often endangered or at risk animals are inevitably contrary to todays view. The ridiculous numbers of tigers, the few rhino and other animals killed in hunts may well be disturbing to readers not happy to separate the past with the present.

5 stars. I hope the other books by this author are half as good as this one.