What Are You Reading ?

[Ruby]

^^Well, that was quite a read! In this book, Ranulph Fiennes offers great insight into Ernest Shackleton, the man - his character and the circumstances and events that led to his exploits; he really does bring him to life. Sir E was bitten by the ice and once bitten, there was never any going back. That vast frozen continent held an enchantment for him (as all things cold seem to have done for Fiennes himself), and he remained an adventurer to the end.

Impossible for a man like that to live a regular life – he simply couldn’t – far too restless. I think Fiennes has done an extraordinary job, biographically speaking. One gets a very real sense of all the characters with their inevitable human flaws. Yes, they performed heroic deeds – exploring and adventures such as these are not for the faint of heart, but they also did it because they were compelled by an unseen driving force and surely a little bit of ego. Shackleton did want fame and recognition, if Mr Fiennes has read him correctly, which I believe he has, and Fiennes himself is not impervious to the self-same approbation. It’s still difficult though, to fathom what it is that moves people like this to relentlessly repeat forays into the most godawful conditions imaginable – is it really a quest for glory, or some inner beast that won’t let them be until they’ve assuaged its appetite? These men were tested physically, way beyond the limits of human endurance - no wonder they didn’t live to ripe old ages! There is something about Shackleton though – from the time of his first trip south with Scott, he never allowed a doctor to listen to his heart. One could be forgiven for surmising that he was well aware that it was not all it should be, and that he was determined not to allow that to sway him from his course of action, perhaps even spurring him on to making the most of things while he could.

Shackleton’s voyage on Endurance and the subsequent rescue he undertook remains a heroic tale – no question at all about that, and he earned undying respect in more than a few quarters, however, it seems he was always scurrying to get his expeditions financed and not necessarily embarking on these trips with as much forward planning and equipment/supplies as may have been prudent. Turns out he was a master salesman to have conjured up any sort of finance at all – especially for Endurance, which really was a ship not best equipped for purpose.

Not that great on the personal relationship front - always seeming to want to be, but just not able to manage that aspect of his life very well. He is portrayed as charismatic and optimistic – a glass half full kinda fellow. Essential qualities for his chosen pursuits I’d have thought! Time and again, there’s a reinforcement of his willingness to knuckle down and do anything that needed doing – leading from the front, always. We could use a couple of leaders of his ilk! 

The book deals with Shackleton’s youth and his introduction to seamanship, as well as his first and second trips to the ice, first as a member of Scott’s expedition, and the second time, leading his own in a bid for the pole – and in competition with Scott, basically, and of course the Endurance and subsequent trip which proved too much for his body to handle. It’s crazy to think that this was a mere 100 hundred years ago – a blip in the history of time. I can’t help thinking how amazed they’d have been by our current technology, and how dated that will seem in turn, in yet another 100 years!

Ranulph Fiennes writes well - the book is engaging, interesting and alive. Interspersed with his own stories of derring do, naturally, but not to the point of overshadowing his subject. The references are relevant and show his understanding of his subject and I seriously doubt there is a better qualified biographer in this instance. Well worth a read if this sort of thing floats your own boat!

Just tagging this on here - about the location of the Endurance which seems to be in remarkably good shape despite over 100 years in her watery grave! We used to see the predecessor of the Agulhas II in False Bay quite often - simply SA Agulhas - also a research vessel that undertook many trips to the frosty far south. https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/...108-years/ Would love a trip to the Antarctic.