Amazing story of ones ability to fight adversity and keep going when all seemed lost. Albanov never gave up despite the hunger, the weather being against him, the lack of equipment, and the ‘children’ he felt responsible for getting to safety. True adventure of epic proportions!

It is a diary written in 1912 over a 2 yr period as an expedition was trying to find a route to the North Pole. 28-30 men and 1 woman set out on a Ship but became lodged in ice. 10 men set out with kayaks and “sledges” to head south to get help. It is a true story of survival and a very interesting read. Only 2 men came home. The rest perished on the trek for help as well as those who stayed with the ship. If you like survival stories this was a good short read.

Albanov war zur selben Zeit, in der Shakleton in der Antarktis um sein Überleben und das seiner Mannschaft kämpfte als Navigator auf einem Schiff in der Arktis unterwegs. Ziel war das Ergründen neuer Fanggebiete. Die Expedition war mehr oder weniger zum Scheitern verurteilt, da schlechte Vorbereitungen getroffen worden und die Mannschaft aus unerfahrenen Männern bestand (es war sogar eine Frau an Bord!). Als das Schiff über ein Jahr im Eis eingeschlossen war, erbat sich Albanov von seinem Kaiptän, mit dem er eh nicht klar kam, die Erlaubnis das Schiff zu verlassen und über das Eis Land zu erreichen. Von diesem Zeitpunkt aus erzählt er von seiner Reise auf selbstgebauten Schlitten und Kajaks mit einigen Freiwilligen. Albanov erzählt sehr unterhaltsam und kurzweilig von den Geschehnissen und der täglichen Qual über unwegsamen Eis zu wandern. Ein Abzug, da mir manchmal Albanov Stil etwas zu übertrieben vorkam (Das Buch basiert auf seinem Tagebuch, er hat es nach der Expedition für die Veröffentlichung umgeschrieben.). Als Kapitän hätte er sich auch nicht so wirklich geeignet, fällt es ihm doch schwer, sich in seine Mitstreiter reinzuversetzen. Trotzdem ein schöne Lektüre, mit der man wunderbar in die kalten Gefilde der Arktis reisen kann.

Another Unfolding Great Historical Arctic Account

Enjoyed learning of another Arctic adventure gone arrayed. We are fortunate to come across historic, well written documents as this. A quick, enjoyable read.

Great Arctic Adventure

The diary of a survivor of an ill-fated expedition. Well written with lots of adventure.
Important note to any Arctic traveler: never eat the liver of a polar bear, walrus or a husky because their liver contains toxic levels to humans of vitamin A.

A true story. Shipwrecked in the frozen north, a small team of Russian scientists and sailors attempts to survive by slowly heading south on foot and rowboat. The translation may have interfered, but the writing style was not well done. However, the story itself is fascinating. The conflicts the team had with aggressive walruses has stuck with me and changed the way I think of walruses.

The fascinating first-hand story of a polar expedition in 1912-14 told by one of the only two survivors. The ship Saint Anna was stuck in the ice for 18 months and at last Albanov and nine others (13 remained on the ship) built kayaks and sledges, filled them with provisions from the ship, and set out on foot across the ice. They travelled for three months before reaching an uninhabited island.

The sad thing about reading true stories from the past is knowing, invariably, that our writer and protagonist died long ago and you can only hope they died well. It's sad to see that after such a treacherous journey, in a landscape where the only other living organisms are polar bears (who want to kill you), Albanov's death is something of a mystery. Whether from a fever or an accident, his death later in life is not a spoiler for the story, as it's title suggests, it is a story of survival. Albanov's frankness describing his bleak situation and quality of his fellows has this mixture of being both very modern and old-world gentlemanly (for lack of a better word) that is really captivating. As an example of what I mean, check out this quote that describes his ship's situation once they've run out of fuel for the engines:

"At this very moment the ship belowdecks is being ransacked: bulkheads, auxiliary beams, anything that is not a vital structural part of the ship is being mercilessly sacrificed to the ax. Not a single cabin was spared, and we will all have to spend the night on deck. Mr. Vize has even suggested feeding the piano to the flames. For the time being we cannot yet bring ourselves to do that, and hope to avoid such an act of vandalism. I have even heard that the jib boom and topmast will be next to be fed to the boiler. (pg.179)

What a totally different time! Who would think it necessary to bring a piano on an arctic expedition, and in a life or death situation, think it an affront to willingly destroy a musical instrument over the very beams their standing on. This is a generation of people that think it vitally important to have a clean change of clothes prepared (manufactured from polar bear fur, of course) lest your would-be saviors see you dirty and unwashed. Despite these aristocratic conventions, Albanov speaks to the reader like a fellow accomplice, he hates his captain, he dislikes his crew, and thinks there's a good chance he'll die. When it comes to the reality of the situation, Albanov doesn't mince words, and this pragmatism is what makes him palatable to modern readers.

Another element of Albanov that I find charming is his romanticism. Despite being an educated man and navigator for his ship, he always keeps an image of Saint Nicholas the M|racle worker in his pocket for good luck. Dreams play an important role in Albanov's story, as their premonitions of safety keep hope alive among the team of survivors. Moreover, a turn of good luck always merits thanks to the Greek gods, with Albanov thanking Diana for the gift of a good hunt and Aeolus for the favor of a good wind. I don't know much about the culture of sailors, but I feel like this overt superstition is what makes their stories and beliefs so fascinating to laypeople.

There's a third character in this work that bears mentioning and that is of the very arctic itself, specifically of this time period, the late 1800s and early 1900s. Some parts of this book remind me alot of the setting of the modern science fiction novel Metro 2033, which takes place in the post-apocalyptic Moscow underground. One section of this dead world is a complete mystery to those living just next door, with unknown dangers as well as hidden treasures, the major stumbling block for everyone involved being a lack of information. The world of the far north is, as Albanov describes it, similar to being post apocalyptic. It is mostly dead and everything wants to kill you. Human life is only possible through the extreme effort of explorers and seamen, hauling thousands of pounds of supplies into the middle of nowhere. Albanov himself only survives by sheer accident (or fate) finding the previous supplies of failed expeditions he has no knowledge about, the forgotten remains of a rich industrialists vision of glory or a government funded scientific expedition. In a world where information travels slowly and usually only written down, Albanov has no knowledge of who was where or even what the shape of the arctic landmasses are, only a dotted line on a hand-drawn map will suffice. This sort of mystery about what's really out there, and the occasional bursts of beauty as nature finds a way to take root in the few islands of the far north, is what makes the tundra so alluring a setting for people to learn about and makes the idea of an arctic expedition seem reasonable.

Overall, I think this book has become one of my new favorite reads and is highly recommended.

Some quotes I liked:
I have often tried, but always in vain, to fathom their thoughts; all I know is that it is extremely aggravating to be involved with characters of this nature in such dangerous circumstances. They are always there, I can see them, but that is all. Often it would be better not to see them, for they are of no help whatsoever; they are, in fact, more of a burden than anything else, and they have ambitions that are totally unwarranted. During the most critical moments I was always essentially alone, and it was then that I understood the profound truth of the precept: "It is when you are alone that you are free. If you want to live, fight for as long as you have strength and determination. You may have no one to help you with your struggle, but you will at least have no one dragging you under. When you are alone, it is always easier to stay afloat." (Pg.115)

This was not hostility toward Shpakovsky, who had never done anyone any harm, and the driftwood itself was unimportant. A healthier person was simply rebelling against the illness that had marked a comrade for its target. Those words were simply meant to kindle some energy and bring back the will to survive at any price. The mind must command the limbs and convert itself into a force that controls the body; even if part of that body refuses to obey. Those who let themselves go in these circumstances quickly fall prey to death. There is no way out, other than remaining master of one's body, down to the last muscle. Every temptation must be repressed. When exhaustion tempts one to rest, the legs give up. It is vital not to give in. One must continually urge the mind to victory in its overwhelming struggle against the body. The seductions of lethargy gradually creep in, ready to take over, and that is where the danger lies. (Pg.135)

Important: Get the 2001-version with the epilogue

In 1912 Albanov's ship was frozen fast in the pack ice due to an incompetent commander. For more than a year they drift with the ice, and then Albanov decides to leave the ship. His only map is the one found in Fridtjof Nansen's Fram book! The map is inaccurate map and full of dotted lines where the archipelago was still unexplored.

This book is great in several ways:

It was a joy to read Nansen trough Albanov’s eyes. I enjoy book club readings. But here my book club fellow happens to be a person in another book - and his life depends on reading Nansen’s book and map correctly. Sometimes even down to details as the colour of the walls in a cabin.

Albanov relation to Brusilov - the incompetent captain - alone is worth the book. The captain is unconnected to reality in a degree you rarely see....

The journey and Albanov’s relation to “his men”. He does not command them - these are men who choose to follow him. However, they are clearly not thinking the same way.

On top of that, is an almost murder mystery: Two men flee the group on the ice and travel by themself stealing several things including the only pocket watch. Albanov refuse to tell who they are. But a few clues here and there leaves two people clearly suspect.  I definitely do not think that was intensional.

Yet a further layer is revealed then you realise that Albanov may not be a reliable narrator: These are seriously ill people in some cases just days away from dying. And yet he calls them “lazy”.

Present day:
Several Russian expeditions has searched for remains. In 2010 parts of Vladimir Gubanov diary was found. “That diary convincingly proves that Albanov was an honest man and not a crook. “ Source: https://arctic.ru/diary/20150602/1527...


The following discussion contains major spoilers:

My version of the book is the 2000 version and I read the blog by Oleg Prodan before finally learning about the epilogue and finding it in a library. According to Oleg Prodan: “Albanov never wrote the names of those who committed this mutiny in his diary, but it’s easy to figure it out.” Alright, I set out to find the clues:

Some people can easily be ruled out "They had taken a pair of the best boots, belonging to Lunayev; Maximov’s warmest clothes;" That rules out Lunayev and Maximov. And so on. In the end I very much suspected Konrad to be one of the thieves. Albanov seems to think that there are the thieves and the rest of the men are lazy. The march the thieves did was definitely not lazy, reaching land many days ahead of the sledging group. Konrad does not seem to fit into the “lazy” group.

Also later:
"Konrad and Shpakovsky had made an extraordinary discovery during this outing, for they had pushed as far as the southwestern corner of the island."
Naaah, sounds more like they made the discovery during the days before when they also discovered they where on an island and thus trapped.

I was thrilled to read this part in the epilogue:
"Further evidence for Shpakovsky may lie in the fact that after June 28, Konrad and his best friend are never paired off again. A leader who had forgiven the thieves' mutiny might well be vigilant in making sure they did not come together to plan a second escape. It seems odd, otherwise, that after July 2, Albanov would put the three invalids (Shpakovsky, Lunayev, and Nilsen) in one kayak, sharing his own kayak with the healthy Konrad. It is the chance of this pairing that ultimately saves Konrad's life."

That is so awesome! Not only did it happen right under my nose and I missed it, but it also shows that Albanov is not teaming up with Konrad because he is strong but because he want to “keep friends close, and enemies even closer”.

As for people going WTF over Albanov signing up for yet a polar expedition just 2 months later: I think he was stressed and longing to get away from people in general.

There's a few books that really take you there. This is one of them. If you've ever wanted to be in a wooden ship stranded in the Arctic ice, and have to make an impossible journey to survive, this is something you must read.

The story itself is interesting enough, but I wish the editors had done a little more with tightening up the narrative. This book was barely over 200 pages, but felt like it went on forever. And since most of it is taken straight from Albanov's journals, it consists mostly of location statistics and how much food they still had. I think the story would have been more effective if the editors had taken just the most important parts of Albanov's journals and written the rest of the story around it.

Given the situation the Albanov was pretty calm and handled the whole thing pretty well tbh. If I were in the situation I would definitely not have made it out!