Greenland: The End of the World

by Damjan Končnik, Kevin Kato (Translator)

Do tupilaks really harbor supernatural powers? Is there more than one way to spell 'Ittoqqoortoormiit'? And just why is sleeping in a tent in this icy, rainy land better than a beachfront hotel in Waikiki? These questions are only the tip of the iceberg of mysteries and surprises Damjan Koncnik uncovers over three expeditions to this island 'way up there.' Chock full of history, humor and hardship, these tales of an everyday man's adventures in the Far North will stoke the imaginative fires of avid travelers and armchair explorers alike.

Genres: Nonfiction, Adventure

242 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Greenland - The End of the World by Damjan Koncnik

Damjam Koncnik is an avid trekker. He had dreamed of traveling to Greenland from his homeland Slovenia. In 2001, he traveled to Greenland and traveled the country by foot. He wanted to know more about the first Viking inhabitants who had sailed and made their first settlements along the tundra. Damjam described the vegetation, animals and the people of the towns he had visited on his journey. In 2002, he ventured back to Greenland and wanted to know more about Greenland's first people the Inuit. In 2006 his last journey to Greenland was on an all expense paid trip aboard the Explorer a Cruise line that featured the animal, and sea life along the coastline of Greenland. The Cruise also featured several presentations on Greenland's people, way of life, culture and the Vikings.

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It gave in information about the country, some of its history, what the people are like and what he saw and did. Would of liked to have seen some photos though.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have often wondered about how it would be to visit Greenland, and this book did not discourage me thinking of it as an interesting task that would be potentially very enjoyable, if a very odd sort of trip.  As someone who reads travel books fairly often [1], there are certain conventions one often finds in these sorts of books.  Mostly, one finds male protagonists who are both deeply curious, driven to do something that few people would likely do, and somewhat clueless about how they go about their amazing adventures.  Having read quite a few books of the genre, I realize that while it can be a bit tedious that so many of the protagonists portray themselves as bumbling, as is the case here even if the author is Slovenian and not English like most of the authors of this genre, this makes the author appear more likable by far than he does if he portrays himself in a way that makes him appear superior to his audience (see Pico Iyer and Bill Bryson in their more tiresome works).  Tone matters a lot, and when someone is having enviable adventures it is best if they are not condescending in their approach to their audience.

This particular book is made up of the author's account of several trips to Greenland in which there were amazing adventures as well as a certain amount of danger and bumbling.  After a foreword, preface, and short discussion about the author's dreams of Greenland and his vision of the place as the end of the world (a concept that is perhaps understandably repeated often in the book), the author discusses a series of trips he made to the country.  Most of the book is taken up with his first trip to Greenland in 2001, where he made a long overland trip that included finding some unknown ruins that didn't appear to interest many people as well as struggling mightily against the elements.  After this the author moves on to discuss his second trip, a much briefer one, in 2002.  The author then discusses a third and much more luxuriant trip by sea (mostly) in 2006.  Throughout he comments on the Inuit as well as Europeans in Greenland and their ways, the tense relationship between Greenland and Denmark, and the history of the early and vanished Norse explorers.

As one might imagine from a travel book about a fairly obscure place, there are a lot of different feelings that a reader can gain about this book.  For one, the author gives some insights about the logistical difficulties of traveling in Greenland, offering some serious advice about the challenges of traveling overland, the limited hours of stores in the place, and the desire on the part of the Inuit for greater autonomy even if they have not been able to fully exploit the resources of their own area or show a great deal of business acumen that would aid their independence efforts.  In addition, the author also indicates that tourism in Greenland is something that is going on even if it is somewhat rare as of yet, and that the greater knowledge of and awareness of Greenland and its people and history will offer the island nation a chance to overcome its present isolation, even if it lacks the infrastructure at present to have a large degree of tourism, as conditions in many parts of the place remain more than a bit rough.  Even so, it certainly whetted my own appetite to give the place a visit.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

There aren’t a lot of books about Greenland so I picked this one - available for free on kindle I unlimited

It was pretty gross that in the first chapter he is admitting to sexual fantasies of his Greenlandic tour guide who was SIMPLY A FEMALE DOING HER JOB.

I almost stopped reading but it was pretty okay with a lot of history and also just about hiking/camping in Greenland which I wasn’t doing and didn’t have any interest too.

[Matic Sket · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nekaj o Grenlandiji, kar je pisatelj sam izkusil na lastni koži. Ta interesantni kotiček sveta je dvakrat raziskoval na lastnih nogah, tretjič pa z ladjo Explorer.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable, informative read. I am heading to Greenland on holiday soon; this book has given me a really useful insight into what Greenland is like and an idea of what to expect - excited!