Mary Finnigan is the author of the new biography Zina: The Woman Who Changed Worlds. It focuses on the life of Zina Rachevsky, a socialite, actress, and Buddhist nun. Finnigan's other books include Psychedelic Suburbia. She is also a journalist and broadcaster, and she lives in Devon, England.
Q: Why did you choose to write a biography of Zina Rachevsky (1930-1973)?
A: It took decades to get around to writing it. I met Zina at Kopan in Nepal in 1970. When I left to return to England, Zina gave me an unpublished typescript of her memoir, with instructions to turn it into a proper book.
It lay untouched in my files until 1994, when I skim read some of it and decided to travel round the world, interviewing people who knew her. I finally got around to turning the memoir and my recorded interviews into a book in 2022.
Zina was one of the dedicated pioneers who leveraged Tibetan Buddhism out of the Himalayas and into the world.
Q: How would you describe your relationship with her?
A: We became friends at Kopan and stayed in touch via letters until she died in 1973. I think, like most people who knew her, I was fascinated by her beauty, her charisma, and her enthusiasm, and also puzzled by her apparent lack of a moral compass.
Q: Did anything particularly surprise you as you researched the book?
A: My meeting with her ex-husband Conrad Rooks terrified me! He lived in a Thai sin bin town called Pattaya, which I hated. He was angry, rude, and arrogant and I felt genuinely threatened when he took me to his home.
Q: How would you describe Zina’s legacy today?
A: There's no doubt that her initiative at Kopan kickstarted the spread of Tibetan Buddhism around the globe. This has been of great benefit to thousands of people and is still a powerful source of wisdom and compassion.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: My garden! I'm 88 and doubt if I'll write another book. But I will probably compile a words and photos family history for my grandchildren.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Zina's trajectory from high society and boho life, film stardom and privilege into ordination as a Tibetan Buddhist nun who spent the last years of her life in contemplative retreat in austere conditions is a truly extraordinary story.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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