Farthest North, vol. I

by Fridtjof Nansen

Nansen's "Fram" expedition was an attempt by the Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen to reach the geographical North Pole by harnessing the natural east–west current of the Arctic Ocean. In the face of much discouragement from other polar explorers, in 1893, Nansen took his ship "Fram" to the New Siberian Islands in the eastern Arctic Ocean, froze her into the pack ice, and waited for the drift to carry her towards the pole. Three years later, Frederick Jackson, who had organised his own expedition to Franz Josef Land, was astonished to see"saw "a tall man, wearing a soft felt hat, loosely made, voluminous clothes and long shaggy hair and beard, all reeking with black grease". After a moment's awkward hesitation, Jackson recognized his visitor: "You are Nansen, aren't you?", and received the reply "Yes, I am Nansen."

Nansen's first task on his return was to write his account of his voyage. This he did remarkably quickly, producing 300,000 words of Norwegian text by November 1896; the English translation, titled was ready in January 1897. The book was an instant success, and secured Nansen's long-term financial future. Although Nansen retired from exploration after this expedition, the methods of travel and survival he developed with Johansen influenced all the polar expeditions, north and south, which followed in the subsequent three decades.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, Historical

270 pages, Paperback

Published January 24, 2017

About the author

Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930) was a Norwegian explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Best known for the Fram expedition, an attempt to reach the North Pole by using the natural drift of the polar ice in the ship Fram, carrying fuel and provisions for twelve men for five years.

Reviews

[Joe Kelleher · Rating 4 out of 5]

The downside of this book is that it can be as boring as being stuck on the arctic ice for three years. The upside of this book is that it can be as thrilling as being stuck on the arctic ice for three years. Fridtjof Nansen was a logistical genius, a great optimist, and an all around bad ass. One minute he is describing the hypnotic Northern Lights. The next minute he is describing a puppy getting mangled in the gears of a windmill. I guess that's the universe for you. I appreciated how immersion into raw nature transforms his scientific aims into a spiritual awakening. After so many months taking painstaking measurements of direction, temperature, depth, and speed, he occasionally looks up at the sky and says things like, "Is this not an image of what is to come? Eternity and peace are here. Nirvana must be cold and bright as any star-night. What are all our research and understanding in the midst of this infinity?"

[Clara Mazzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scorrere i pensieri e le immagini del diario di Nansen è come salpare con lui, a bordo della sua amatissima Fram, per la spedizione al Polo Nord. Per quest’uomo poco più che trentenne e sposato da qualche anno è stata frutto di tanto studio: nell’introduzione spiega di come lui abbia letto tutte le relazioni disponibili delle precedenti esplorazioni e di come ne abbia rilevato le difficoltà (dallo scorbuto allo scafo, dall’irascibilità alla noia, dal freddo alla condensa, dall’irascibilità derivata dall’alcol allo studio delle correnti che potrebbero trascinare al polo nord) per metterne in piedi una sua esplorazoine che potesse portare al raggiungimento dello scopo. Per almeno un paio d’anni raccoglie i fondi necessari all’impresa, poi si fa costruire una barca come dice lui, impacchetta provviste per cinque anni (non voleva stare in giro per così tanto, ma non voleva neanche correre rischi), si procura dei cani da slitta, dodici uomini oltre a lui e poi salpa.
E noi con lui scivoliamo sulle acque di questo mare nero come il cielo che gli sta sopra, freddo come il ghiaccio che lo ricopre; passiamo attraverso banchi di nebbia e desolazione; incontriamo orsi (tanti orsi, che purtroppo lui smania di cacciare); e poi ci chiniamo sui vetrini del laboratorio e quindi sulle sue annotazioni nei registri in cui misura la temperatura dell’acqua a diverse profondità, descrive animaletti trovati all’80esimi di latitudine; poi usciamo con lui sul ponte della nave e restiamo a bocca aperta per l’aura borealis... spettacolo che nemmeno per lui ha uguali. Nansen preferisce il lungo inverno buio all’estate proprio per tutto quello che emerge dall’oscurità, siano esse stelle, fiamme di un buon focolare o le cene luculliane che facevano a bordo (se c’era una cosa che preoccupava Nansen – visto che, con sua grande sorpresa, non aveva niente di cui preoccuparsi: nessun caso di scorbuto, nessuna tempesta grave, caldo più che a sufficienza, niente condensa a bordo, nessun malato, nessun incidente – era la quantità di cibo vario ed eccellente che mangiavano e che li stava rendendo tutti molto grassi).
Ma Nansen, senza saperlo e senza volerlo, fa qualcosa di più di una spedizione al Polo Nord: Nansen, come Ulisse, come Giasone, fa il Viaggio della Vita dell’Uomo. Nelle lunghe notti artiche, egli si ritrova solo con se stesso e pensa alla sua condizione umana, alla sua piccolissima persona nel mezzo di tanta natura immensa e sconosciuta, pensa alle distanze dai suoi affetti, pensa se tutto quello che sta facendo ha un senso e poi se lui riuscirà nel suo intento.
Un uomo equilibrato, questo Nansen, ma anche molto umano. A dispetto della positività o forse meglio dire, della serenità che trasuda ogni parola che scrive, ogni tanto ha un mancamento, un dubbio, una défaillance e si lascia andare, giusto un pochino, ponendosi le grandi domande della vita (e se fallisco?) e trovando anche le risposte adeguate (io so che ho fatto del mio meglio).
Un diario che da un punto di vista letterario non raggiunge le cime di profondità umana che invece emergono dalle sue riflessioni.

[Maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book. I highly recommend it to anyone who fancies themselves as an explorer, armchair explorer, adventurer, or is looking to be inspired by the courage and toughness of great nordic men. Fridjtof Nansen is the Greatest Explorer that you've never heard of and likely one of you're future heroes. I first learned about Nansen and his Fram expedition earlier this year, when an author referenced him as a great explorer and told of how he had deliberately froze his boat into the ice of the arctic trying to reach the North Pole. After looking him on wikipedia, I was even more amazed and baffled that his story was not more well known.(I remain baffled today and plan to introduce as many people as I can to his greatness). In addition to be an amazing inspiring true story, I was delighted to discover that Fridtjof Nansen was also beautiful writer. His poetic writing style is really the icing on this epic adventure's cake.

I wish I had the time and patience to write a more thorough review, because the book surely deserves it, but , I do not. If you want to read more reviews - search Farthest North and you will find other editions with more goodreads reviews. FWIW, I do recommend reading this version, as it is the original text, it is FREE, and compatible with your Amazon Kindle or Kindle Cloud reader etc..

[Frederick Bingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is well worth reading. A true adventure story of high magnitude. Nansen is a great writer as well as being a pioneer observational ocean scientist. His descriptions of life in the Arctic are vivid. I just started Volume II.

Unlike a lot of such accounts, this one details an expedition towards the north pole (they never actually get there) that is well-prepared and competently run. The crew of the Fram spend 1.5 years in their ship, being warm and cozy, eating sumptuous meals, making forays out into the ice, tending to the dogs, observing the northern lights and making measurements of the atmosphere, ice and ocean. They are completely cut off from civilization and at the mercy of the weather, ocean currents and violent rendings of the ice itself.

Nansen frets constantly about not drifting far enough north and being far away from his goal of reaching the pole. I wonder what he was expecting being stuck in drifting ice.

I do wish the book had a map - it has none. There is a pretty good one on the wikipedia page that describes the expedition.

[Noah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fridtjof Nansen was not only an explorer and scientist, he was also a philosopher. This book is not only the account of the first half of the Fram expedition through the Arctic sea, it is also an account of Nansen`s musings and the inner struggles that the dealt with along the voyage. While reading this book, I have not only been interested by the scientific data, I have also been drawn in emotionally.

[Ebook Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, the e-book version can be found at:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/fart...

[Catha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful description of Nansen and the other’s journey.
It captures the excitement as well as the peaceful and yet mad-making sitting around, the thrill as well as the peace and the joy each felt in the other’s company.

[Gwyn Owens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very slow start Introduction 33 pages

[Helmut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impressive storytelling from back then!