Tell me something, Gainsford. What do you think of his talk about Shangri-La? Do you believe it?" To which Gainsford replies, "Yes - yes, I believe it. I believe it, because I want to believe it."
And, as he lifts his glass, he continues, "Gentlemen, I give you a toast. Here is my hope that Robert Conway will find his Shangri-La! Here is my hope that we all find our Shangri-La."
And people still hope to find their Shangri-La, long after James Hilton published his novel Lost Horizon in 1933. Then as now, with all those rumblings of wars on the evening news, Lost Horizon, with its images of order and tranquillity, has a timeless appeal.
People believe it - and will keep reading Lost Horizon; click here - because they want to believe it. Let's hope we all find our Shangri-La.
