A classic tale of survival by an important figure in the history of Arctic exploration, this is the autobiography of a man who devoted his life to the Arctic. A veteran explorer, in 1910 he embarked upon an expedition with his friend Iver Iversen, in search of the diaries of the tragic Mylius and Erichsen expedition. For three years they suffered every calamity known to man, including starvation, frostbite, snow blindness, bear attacks and apocalyptic storms, with no hope of rescue. Yet they retained their sanity and humour by refusing to become as desolate as their surroundings.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Michael Lavocah
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I read this book after my mother - reading it in Danish - recommended it to me. The book tells the tale of the Danish polar explorer Ejnar Mikkelsen, who was stranded on Greenland with one companion (his ship's engineer Iversen) for three years from 1909. Mikkelsen was ill prepared - he seems to have courted danger recklessly - but his resourcefulness and inner strength exceed anything you will read elsewhere. His memoir is written without a shred of self-pity, outside our world which finds suffering so noble. Perhaps it's fanciful to think this the survival of the Viking spirit in the modern age; but read this book for a non-anglophone conception of what it means to be a man,
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.9 out of 5 stars
7 reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Letter from Denmark
10 Sep 2008
By jmcc
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Worth the price of the book to read about the calendar pictures and the "Letter from Denmark" episode.
A testament to the amazing character of the two men: loyalty, determination, courage, charitableness, and the ability to find a song in one's heart even when the chips are down. And down they were! That the two explorers were able to survive their multi-years' long ordeal is amazing.
An adventure/travel story at its best.
I'll definitely be re-reading this one and sharing it with others, too.
A testament to the amazing character of the two men: loyalty, determination, courage, charitableness, and the ability to find a song in one's heart even when the chips are down. And down they were! That the two explorers were able to survive their multi-years' long ordeal is amazing.
An adventure/travel story at its best.
I'll definitely be re-reading this one and sharing it with others, too.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
PURE ADVENTURE!!
28 April 2003
By A Customer
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Great Book! Written by the explorer himself, the story comes 'straight from the horse's mouth' telling of the his expedition to Greenland in the early 1900's. Seeing inside the lives of Mikkelsen and his companion, Iversen during this expedition makes me wonder if anyone today in our soft, comfortable life could ever endure what they did. Their outlook and physical stamina during their hardship makes my 'discomforts' look like peanuts!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Arctic survival unlike many
6 April 2010
By Dag Stomberg
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Objective facts and subjective experiences followed by meditation on cold climates by Ejnar Mikkelsen, a Danish Arctic explorer of considerable repute. He made expeditions to Greenland, Alaska
and Siberia.
This book was written in Danish {Farlig tomandsfaerd} and published
in 1955. The idea was to search (beginning in 1910 and lasting for
three years) for the diaries of the Mylius Erichsen expedition that
went wrong. The expedition was to prove that Robert Peary's mapping of the East Greenland coast was incorrect.
The actual story and the way it is written makes it a gripping and
spellbinding unforgettable polar narrative!
Dag Stomberg
St. Andrews, Scotland
and Siberia.
This book was written in Danish {Farlig tomandsfaerd} and published
in 1955. The idea was to search (beginning in 1910 and lasting for
three years) for the diaries of the Mylius Erichsen expedition that
went wrong. The expedition was to prove that Robert Peary's mapping of the East Greenland coast was incorrect.
The actual story and the way it is written makes it a gripping and
spellbinding unforgettable polar narrative!
Dag Stomberg
St. Andrews, Scotland
›
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4.9 out of 5 stars
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