Books
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I urge you to read this. I can't start to explain how brilliant this book is. It made me laugh, cry and wonder in equal measure. It is not just an account of Shackleton's failed attempt at crossing Antartica and the unbelievable rescue of his men, but in many ways, a lesson for life. I have learned so much (and bored the arse out of P, as I insist on reading parts out to her all the time). Read it, and I think you'll thank me.
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I chatted to a couple of German friends here (the dive masters and the reason we came to this resort). They found it difficult to read, and gave up, they said that the English was too difficult for them. I told them to try harder
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I chatted to a couple of German friends here (the dive masters and the reason we came to this resort). They found it difficult to read, and gave up, they said that the English was too difficult for them. I told them to try harder
Shit... and there is no translation available. Will have to aks Maxi to translate...
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I think you will manage, but he does talk some heavy shit in places. He also makes some brilliant observations (apologies to my American friends):
"OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011
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One of the interesting discussions in Finding Endurance is the authors analysis of the difference in character/motivation between Scott and Shackleton. That Scott played a finite game, and Shackleton an infinite game.... Not that I knew what either were 2 days ago......
"OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011
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@mclaincausey truth
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Thanks to @Giles I have started the audiobook of Finding Endurance and while I am early, find it well-written and I am also enjoying narrator Saul Reichlin's lovely English accent. I also found a free audiobook edition on Audible of Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing from 1959 that I added to my list but have not started.
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Have you started/finished it @Giles?
Thoughts?
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Speaking of violence.... You want violence, try reading this one I finished last night: Hannibal: Rome's Greatest Enemy by Philip Freeman. The era's casual genocide, infanticide, or butchery of as many as 60,000 soldiers in single battles are mind-boggling. The strategic brilliance of Hannibal is so impressive. It is interesting to speculate, as the author does, about how different the world would be had he taken to Rome after destroying their army in the Battle of Cannae and laid siege. It could well have been the end of the Rome in 216 BC. It's truly hard to even get my head around that. Constantinople fell in 1453 AD. Imagine almost 1700 years of Roman influence suddenly gone. We wouldn't be speaking the same languages or anything.
