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The Norwegian With Scott: The Antarctic Diary of Tryggve Gran, 1910-13
English, Norwegian (translation)
258 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1984
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 22, 2012
Gran died in 1980, the last living member of the shore party on Scott's final south pole expedition. This is the diary of the time he spent in the Antarctic with Scott and the men 1910 to 1913. A lost age in so many ways.
The book is structured as a diary so there is a good deal of repetition. Turns out the Antarctic is icy, cold and prone to storms.
What we get though is a much warmer account of the people and events.
In contrast to Scott's diary which was written with an eye to publication and then edited to project and protect a certain viewpoint the English empire required, Gran 's diary is a breath of fresh air.
Seldom far from his thoughts, the fact he is a Norwegian within a British expedition trying to reach the South pole before Amundsen.
The diary format has a critical flaw in narrative. The reader is limited to what Gran deems important from the well of his own experiences framed against the time he has to actually write.
At times the reader is left trying to understand a complex expedition via snapshots that are not even the full picture but rather a fragment of one.
At times this lack of a complete narrative is frustrating.
Gran has a pretty shrewd eye for the weaknesses in Scott's travel plans early on and passages highlight Scott's humanitarian, but misplaced, views on animal welfare.
Gran was a staunch defender of Scott's reputation to the last. While reading this book I softened my feeling toward Scott and consider some of the harsher criticism levelled against him in more recent times as unjust.
Gran, of course, was not on the final push to the pole, so what we get is the largely overlooked life at camp.
A remarkable amount of time during the winter was spent in just keeping warm. The monotonous nature of the enterprise shines through.
He was part of the search party that amazingly did find the tent with Scott and his companions. Romantically he took Scott's ski and left his own to ensure Scott's skis made the trip back even if he did not.
A worthwhile read but the lack of expedition overview or explanatory text is ultimately frustrating.
The book is structured as a diary so there is a good deal of repetition. Turns out the Antarctic is icy, cold and prone to storms.
What we get though is a much warmer account of the people and events.
In contrast to Scott's diary which was written with an eye to publication and then edited to project and protect a certain viewpoint the English empire required, Gran 's diary is a breath of fresh air.
Seldom far from his thoughts, the fact he is a Norwegian within a British expedition trying to reach the South pole before Amundsen.
The diary format has a critical flaw in narrative. The reader is limited to what Gran deems important from the well of his own experiences framed against the time he has to actually write.
At times the reader is left trying to understand a complex expedition via snapshots that are not even the full picture but rather a fragment of one.
At times this lack of a complete narrative is frustrating.
Gran has a pretty shrewd eye for the weaknesses in Scott's travel plans early on and passages highlight Scott's humanitarian, but misplaced, views on animal welfare.
Gran was a staunch defender of Scott's reputation to the last. While reading this book I softened my feeling toward Scott and consider some of the harsher criticism levelled against him in more recent times as unjust.
Gran, of course, was not on the final push to the pole, so what we get is the largely overlooked life at camp.
A remarkable amount of time during the winter was spent in just keeping warm. The monotonous nature of the enterprise shines through.
He was part of the search party that amazingly did find the tent with Scott and his companions. Romantically he took Scott's ski and left his own to ensure Scott's skis made the trip back even if he did not.
A worthwhile read but the lack of expedition overview or explanatory text is ultimately frustrating.
May 30, 2025
nothing could have prepared me for gran as a clown
January 13, 2023
i'm obsessed with this dude
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews