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Wednesday 25 November 2015

Psst...I am reading...Endurance; This Australian novel tells the story of Australian Photographer. Explorer and adventurer Frank Hurley.



It is advised to read the following book in a warm and cozy environment...

Endurance by Tim Griffith



I quote; 
Hurley's photographs and documentaries of Douglas Mawson's and Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic expeditions, and his astounding images of World War I have been so widely exhibited and reproduced that in many cases they are the principal means by which we have come to see those world-shattering events. His iconic images of the ship Endurance trapped in an ocean of ice, of men battling the most extreme elements in the Antarctic, and suffering under unthinkable conditions in ice and war are imprinted on the Australian consciousness. 
Here now is the man, Hurley, telling us of his part in the two ill-fated Antarctic expeditions and recounting tales of great heroism and suffering as he fights for his life among the ice and the elements, and witnesses as photographer the worst ravages of war on the Western Front. 


 A few lines from the book…It is the better part of a year since we abandoned ship and it is four month we have been marooned on this piece of rock. Our stores are virtually gone…
My path is blocked by a fresh catch, a large blue whale…
Unimaginable that the blasted Norwegians could choose to sail to the opposite of the world to slaughter such extraordinary creatures and do so in such a barbarous fashion. They have turned this pristine harbour into a bloodbath…

…The image endures beyond the events we witness and the lives of all witnesses.


Ice Mask






The James Caird departing Elephant Island to seek rescue, Frank Hurley


Frank Hurley's  photos can be seen in the Australian Museum.

Well worth reading; the cold and hardships make you shudder and wonder what people can endure. Ts

2 comments:

  1. Thanks T for bringing this book to my attention. It sounds like an exciting one to read.

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    Replies
    1. Diane, it is, one can not put it away. the part of the "great war" is very sad. The photos are amazing. I think they would be of interest for you and Bill.

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