Med Nansen på 86° 14': Mina minnen från den norska polarexpeditionen

by Hjalmar Johansen

Hjalmar Johansen (1867–1913) följde med Nansens polarexpedition med Fram från 1893 till 1896 och var Nansens enda följeslagare på vandringen till Nordpolen. Den här boken är hans egen skildring av pulkaturen med Nansen från Fram till den berömda 86º 14' nordliga breddgraden, där de var tvungna att vända, och övervintringen i en stenhytt på Franz Josefs land.

Den 19 november 1894 skrev Hjalmar Johansen i sin dagbok: "Nansen frågade mig idag om jag var villig att följa med honom på en expedition till Nordpolen."

Hjalmar befann sig på polarskeppet Fram, nära 82:a breddgraden. Ryktena om det förestående uppbrottet hade svirrat under en tid bland besättningen. Frågan kom därför inte som någon överraskning. Men även om han verkade lugn var hans hjärta inte fritt att slå snabbt under tröjan. Det var inte vem som helst som hade frågat. Det var Fridtjof Nansen, som några år tidigare hade blivit världsberömd efter sin skidresa över Grönland. Det var inte vilken resa som helst som de skulle ut på heller. De skulle ta med sig hundarna och göra en knuff mot själva Nordpolen - där ingen människa hade varit tidigare...

Genres: Nonfiction

347 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1898

About the author

Fredrik Hjalmar Johansen was a polar explorer from Norway. He shipped out with Fridtjof Nansen's Fram expedition in 1893–1896, and accompanied Nansen to notch a new Farthest North record near the North Pole on what was then the frozen Arctic Ocean. Johansen also participated in the expedition of Roald Amundsen to the South Pole in 1910–1912.

Reviews

[J_BlueFlower · Rating 4 out of 5]

Notice this book is freely available from several sources:

English translation here:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...

In Norwegian:
Selv-anden paa 86°14' (The first edition)
https://www.nb.no/items/f3a69337a9cc3...

Med Nansen på 86°14' (The third edition)
https://www.nb.no/items/f6ff31b3b002e...

I liked Fridtjof Nansen’s book better. I liked getting the scientific details, but if you are here for the action, ice and polar bears only Hjalmar Johansen’s book may be the one to pick up, since it is much shorter.

One interesting detail in Johansen's book is how the polar bears react. Nansen and Johansen very often see polar bears as they are attracted by the smell. Nansen and Johansen hunt them for meat, but the bears are easily frightened and start running. Only once are they attacked by a bear. One day Johansen shoots at bear and runs after it:

“.... I discovered the bear some distance off, over by the glen, with heavy traces of blood behind it. I had only one more cartridge left in the gun after I had fired the shot, and with this I set off after the bear, which increased its speed when it noticed it was pursued.”

It seems to me that those bears back then are not nearly as aggressive as the modern polar bears. Starvation?

This book can easily be read like a good fiction novel. For a non-professional writer Hjalmar Johansen does an excellent job. I have now read both Fridtjof Nansen, Hjalmar Johansen and Bernhard Nordahl’s books. It is surprising that out of 13 people three of them were so good writers.