Book description
Apsley Cherry-Garrard (1886-1959) was one of the youngest members of
Captain Scott's final expedition to the Antarctic. Cherry undertook an
epic journey in the Antarctic winter to collect the eggs of the
Emperor penguin. The temperature fell to seventy below, it was dark
all the time, his teeth shattered in the cold and the tent blew away.
'But we kept our tempers,' Cherry wrote, 'even with God.'
After serving in the First War Cherry was invalided home, and with
the zealous encouragement of his neighbour Bernard Shaw he wrote a
masterpiece. In The Worst Journey in the World Cherry
transformed tragedy and grief into something fine. But as the years
unravelled he faced a terrible struggle against depression, breakdown
and despair, haunted by the possibility that he could have saved Scott
and his companions.
This is the first biography of Cherry. Sara Wheeler, who has
travelled extensively in the Antarctic, has had unrestricted access to
new material and the full co-operation of Cherry's family.
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 son. She is the author of seven previous books, including
Terra Incognita: Travels in Antarctica
,
Cherry: A Life of Apsley Cherry-Garrard
,
Too Close to the Sun: The Life and Times of Denys Finch Hatton
,
The Magnetic North,
and
Access All Areas: Selected Writings 1990-2010
.
