Cuando el encuentro con una civilización milenaria se convierte en un sendero de profundo autodescubrimiento.«Chantal Maillard es una escritora extraordinaria. Su obra poética y ensayística son deslu
Imagina que...* Tomas el sol en una isla creada de manera artificial con espuma helada.* Colonizas una ciudad junto a Chernóbil que jamás llegó a ser habitada.* Pernoctas en un cementerio habitado (por vivos) en el norte de Manila.* Visitas un microestado fundado en una plataforma armamentistica en mitad del oceano.* Conoces al amor de tu vida en una campiña britanica, capital del sexo al aire libre.Alastair Bonnett escribe sobre 48 lugares fuera del mapa. Una oda a la peculiaridad de un lugar frente a un mundo globalizado. A lo inesperado en un planeta mapeado (y por tanto explicado) por las nuevas grandes corporaciones. A las fronteras difusas y las fantasias reales. A la idea de que ni el hombre actual lo sabe todo ni todo esta descubierto y conquistado. Al territorio como fabrica de nuestras vidas, donde construimos nuestra identidad y memoria.
Restores Dr Howard Somervell to his rightful place in the story of Himalayan exploration an unsung pioneer whose courage, compassion, and heroism shaped the foundations of high-altitude mountaineering... Hoyland writes with rare authority, empathy and insight, delivering a vital and beautifully told biography. Sir Chris BoningtonThe pioneers who attempted the first climbs of Mount Everest in 1922 and 1924 knew nothing about the mountain other than its height. They had to learn the hard way about the lack of oxygen, the jet-stream winds, the illnesses of altitude, and the vital importance of the Sherpas. They fought cerebral oedema, frostbite, hypothermia, and raging thirst in the cold, thin air. They had to find a route, avoid avalanches, and work out what to do when confronted by an insurmountable rock climb at extreme altitude. Many of them died.Howard Somervell was Mallorys closest friend on the mountain during those groundbreaking first ascents. An exceptionally gifted man, his life takes us far beyond the mountain: he had a double first from Cambridge, was a talented artist and an accomplished musician. He served as a surgeon at the Battle of the Somme during the First World War and was one of the foremost alpinists of the day when he was invited to join the 1922 expedition. After Everest, he was awarded an Olympic gold medal for Alpinism in 1924. But in India, he will be remembered as a surgeon who dedicated the remainder of his life to healing the sick.Those early climbers showed the way. Somervell took part in the first attempt to climb the mountain, and his oxygen-free height record in 1924 stood for over 50 years. This is his climb.
Wonderful. Paul TherouxBrilliant.Simon JenkinsSuperb.Colin ThubronBreathtakingly good. Michael PalinA captivating authorised biography of the legendary writer Jan Morris.She was the twentieth century. Who wouldnt want to write her biography?When Jan Morris joined the 1953 Everest expedition and was first to get news of the ascent back to London, she became the most famous journalist in the world. So began a glittering career covering the Eichmann trial, interviewing Che Guevara and scooping the story of Suez collusion. Morris transitioned in the early seventies and documented the experience in Conundrum. She was a pioneer and her books, including Venice and the Pax Britannica trilogy, have inspired readers across the globe.Here, renowned travel writer and biographer Sara Wheeler uncovers the complexity of this twentieth-century icon to reveal a mosaic of contradictions. Morriss work conjured the spirit of place, yet her late masterpiece Trieste celebrates the meaning of nowhere; she was a Welsh nationalist who wasnt Welsh; a preacher of kindness with a cruel side. This is a portrait of an astonishing life, and a scintillating story of longing, travel and never reaching home.