Blackfriars Alumnus Launches Acclaimed Dalai Lama Biography

4th March 2020

Alexander Norman (2005–09) has written the first authoritative biography of the Dalai Lama, one of the most influential religious figures of the last fifty years.

His biography is based on a long-standing collaboration with the Dalai Lama since he first interviewed him for the Spectator in 1993, prior to his first visit to England. Since that time, he has written several books with him and founded in 2014 The Dalai Lama Centre for Compassion.

Launching his biography on 3 March 2020 at Blackfriars (which welcomed the Dalai Lama in 2008) , Norman offered a wide-ranging talk on his family’s associations with Tibet, his own relationship with the Dalai Lama, the fascinating differences in perspectives between his own Catholic faith and Tibetan Buddhism, and some of the things he has found most remarkable about this extraordinary figure who has had such a strong influence on many in the West.

The Dalai Lama: An Extraordinary Life is available from Blackwells and all good book sellers.