Forbush and the Penguins

by Graham Billing

Forbush is a young scientist who has volunteered to spend a full Antarctic summer alone at Cape Royds, studying the penguin colonies there. He lives in the huts erected by the Shackleton Expedition of 1906-08, and his solitary thoughts are powerfully influenced by the aura of those original builders and occupants of the place. In the desolate beauty of this empty land Forbush goes about his scientific routine, and as he records the arrival, mating and nesting of the penguins, and their terrible survival, struggles against storms and natural foes, he becomes obsessed with the enigmas of life and death, cruelty and love. The solution, the affirmation that he finds, is grimly convincing.

Genres: Nonfiction

158 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Graham Billing was a New Zealand novelist with a background in journalism and seafaring. His novel, The Slipway (1974), was described by The National Observer as ‘A work of discriminating intelligence,’ and it was published while he was a Robert Burns Fellow at the University of Otago in 1973. The Chambered Nautilus (1993) was described by Denis Welch as ‘Breathtaking in scope, almost biblical in depth.’ Billing died in December 2001, and his last novel, The Blue Lion, was released posthumously in 2002.

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 3 out of 5]

This slight story of a bit-of-a-wanker biologist, Richard Forbush, who goes to Antarctica to study penguins on a one-man station is not exactly a thriller. He's researching the mating rituals of penguins and thinking of his mating rituals with erstwhile girlfriend Barbara. Meanwhile to ease the loneliness and horniness, he plays the clarinet and drinks a lot of beer.

He is impressed by the birds fight to live and breed in such a hostile environment and with hungry, murderous skuas flying overhead and changes from being a bit of a wanker into being a bit of philosopher in only 150 pages.

The science is better than the story, or it would have been if I hadn't seen just about every prime-time penguin documentary Attenborough et al ever made.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bettie's Books

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I asked the man at Arty Bees in Wellington to recommend a classic NZ story. He directed me to this. It is the story of a most interesting youngish NZ fellow who goes to Antarctica to study the penguins for 6 months in Mawson's historic hut. The cold and isolation somehow still allow for much humour and of course some self reflection and moon howling. I became very involved in the penguins plight. March of the penguins for intellects.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

this isn't as good as some of Billing's later books but there's still some cool parts, like when he's talking to himself to avoid going crazy, or when he gets really emotionally invested in penguins.

[Jamie Marfurt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pros: the penguins (learning cool facts about them)

Cons: Forbush 🙄