Shackleton, My Father and a World Without End
Blurb:
Since the discovery of the wreck of Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance on the bed of the Antarctic ocean, the world has been enthralled anew by one of the greatest stories of all time.
Acclaimed South African writer Darrel Bristow-Bovey, himself a Shackleton aficionado, revisits this dramatic event, which managed to sweep the tide of anger and rancour off the timelines and front pages of the world.
He asks how so many ordinary people, who don’t know a nunatak from a barquentine, were so moved at the finding of a small wooden ship once sailed by a half-forgotten Irishman? In re-examining the story and its players, he presents new details and a new understanding of the courage and hardship of the Endurance voyage, and reminds us of how extraordinary humans can be. Not all is lost, and what has been lost can be regained: the ocean has given us something back.
What’s more, we are reminded that miracles still happen: human miracles, performed by flawed people in helpless situations.
My review:
What an excellent read! I found this book absolutely fascinating. It took me on a rip-roaring adventure while delivering several philosophical musings. It’s part memoir and part an interesting examination of different leadership styles. And to top it all, it’s packed with spellbinding historical stories.
My expectations, very high because of all the positive reviews I’d read, were far exceeded. The story of Shackleton’s expedition to Antarctica comes alive and I felt all the emotions this great leader and his men must have experienced as the ill-fated voyage faced one severe challenge after another.
Bristow-Bovey’s writing made me feel the cold, the frost-bite, the despair and the hope. A truly remarkable book. Highly recommended.
About the author:
Darrel Bristow-Bovey was born in Durban, South Africa and educated at the University of Cape Town where he studied under J.M. Coetzee and Andre Brink. He currently divides his time between South Africa, the UK and a hillside on the Greek Peloponnese.
He is a screenwriter, author, travel writer and columnist. He has written five books which have been translated into seven languages: I Moved Your Cheese (2001) and The Naked Bachelor (2002) were books of humour and But I Digress (2003), was a collection of his best columns between 1997 and 2003.
Finding Endurance (Icon Books) was published during 2023.
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