Epic Story About Epic Men

A new book about New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay’s ascent of Mt Everest “is one of courage, perseverance and jingoism”, author Justin Cartwright writes for The Observer. “Mick Conefrey’s moving book [Everest 1953: The Epic Story of the First Ascent] confirms that the coronation and the conquest of Everest were indeed knowingly yoked together. Hillary was knighted, as was John Hunt, while Tenzing got the George Medal; there was talk of colonial attitudes. All three were worldwide celebrities. They met everybody who was anybody, including the newly crowned Queen and Prince Philip. Tenzing was deified in Nepal and India. It is a tale of great courage, and – poignantly – of a world that has passed.”