Race to the Pole

September 13, 2004
"We are weak, writing is difficult, but... I do not regret this journey," quotes Fiennes from one of the last letters of Capt. Robert Scott, who reached the South Pole in the summer of 1912 and then perished on the return trip. For generations of Englishmen, Scott was a hero. In the late 1970s, however, a bestselling biography called Scott's exploits into question and his reputation suffered. In this finely honed and riveting account of adventure, death and betrayal, Fiennes, who was the first man to reach both poles by land, seeks to reclaim Scott's place in the pantheon of great and honorable explorers. Fiennes details the tortuous conditions and grim reality of Antarctic exploration at the turn of the last century. Throughout the ordeal, Scott showed leadership, compassion and an unquenchable will to live. Alas, these attributes proved insufficient in the face of a blinding blizzard; he starved and froze to death on his journey home. In a gentle and urbane tone, Fiennes frequently cites his own extraordinary experiences to give perspective to Scott's story. In Fiennes's estimation, Scott succeeded where others failed: he respected his men, was the pride of an empire and made a legitimate and lasting contribution to scientific understanding. four 8-page b&w photo inserts, maps. Agent, Ed Victor.

David Povall offers an intelligent, listenable reading of this re-revisionist biography of Captain Robert Scott's fatal race to the South Pole. Present-day explorer Ranulph Fiennes has an ego the size of the Pole that he, too, has crossed. (As he explains many times, only HE knows the Antarctic well enough to be able to write an accurate Scott biography.) Fiennes seeks to reinstate Scott as a tragic hero rather than an incompetent amateur. To do this, he blends reminiscences of his own Pole crossings with an account of Scott's attempt. The results are mixed--sometimes infuriating, sometimes believable, always interesting. David Povall reads the history sections in an engaged, well-paced manner that never loses the listener, and he offers an intense but not-too-dramatic rendition of Scott's travails. Perfect for history buffs and armchair adventurers. A.C.S. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine