Book description
After writing two highly praised travel books, Sara Wheeler was
accepted by the American government to be the first foreigner on their
National Science Foundation's Antarctic Artists' and Writers Program.
She spent seven months on the continent, travelling from the fabled
Ross Ice Shelf to the Pole itself, the remoter reaches of the West
Antarctic ice sheet, and the balmy Antarctic Peninsula.
Terra Incognita is a meditation on the landscape, myths and
history of one of the remotest parts of the globe, as well as an
encounter with the international temporary residents of the region -
living in close confinement despite the surrounding acres of white
space - and the mechanics of day-to-day life in extraordinary
conditions. Through Sara Wheeler, the Antarctic is revealed, in all
its seductive mystery.
Sara Wheeler was brought up in Bristol. She read Classics and Modern
Languages at Oxford University before embarking on polar explorations. A
traveller, journalist and broadcaster, she lives in London with her
partner and young son. She is the author of five previous books,
including
Terra Incognita: Travels in Antarctica
,
Cherry: A Life of Apsley Cherry-Garrard
and
Too Close to the Sun: The Life and Times of Denys Finch Hatton
and
The Magnetic North.
