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Afterlands
by Heighton, Steven
- New
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- New/New
- ISBN 10
- 0676976778
- ISBN 13
- 9780676976779
- Seller
-
STREETSVILLE, Ontario, Canada
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Toronto: A.A. Knopf, 2005 Book. New. Hardcover. 1st Canadian Edition. In 1872, the USS Polaris sailed for the Arctic on a mission to hoist the U.S. flag at the North Pole. But the expedition was a failure, and half of the party, nineteen men, women and children of different nationalities,were cast adrift on an ice floe off the coast of Ellesmere Island, where they endured six desperate months of starvation, bloodshed and other horrors. Afterlands, a profoundly moving and gripping book, takes characters drawn from history and transforms their experiences into an absorbing tale of unrequited love, unsettled scores and the high cost of loyalty..
Synopsis
This gripping novel of Arctic survival, brilliantly written by an author who has been described as “a young Ondaatje,” is based on one of the most remarkable events in polar exploration. In 1871, off the coast of Greenland, nineteen men, women, and children, voyaging on the Arctic explorer USS Polaris, were cast adrift on a large ice floe as their ship began to founder. Afterlands is the story of this small society of castaways—a white and a black American, five Germans, a Dane, a Swede, an Englishman, and two Inuit families—as they try to survive a six-month winter ordeal, struggling with the harsh elements and with one another, the group splintering into factions along ethnic and national lines. Steven Heighton provocatively fills in the blanks of the documented history of this event by focusing on the suspicions, the hunger-induced delusions, and the unrequited longings among three members of the group: Roland Kruger, an educated, witty, rebellious German seaman; Tukulito, or “Hannah,” the party's Inuit interpreter; and George Tyson, the American ranking officer, who later wrote an account of the experience that solidified his reputation as a hero while casting Kruger as the villain. Throughout the novel, Heighton incorporates actual passages from Tyson’s contentious account, then daringly imagines the aftermath of the ordeal, following Kruger, Tukulito, and Tyson as they attempt to move beyond their searing memories and resume their lives in the larger world. Combining the high drama of Arctic survival and the psychological intensity of modern theater, this beautifully written novel powerfully addresses themes of belonging, nationalism, and love in times of crisis. Steven Heighton’s first novel, The Shadow Boxer, was chosen as a 2002 Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly and has been published in five countries. He is also the author of several books of poetry and short fiction. His work has received awards in Britain and Canada, has been translated into eight languages, and has been internationally anthologized. He lives in Kingston, Ontario.
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Details
- Bookseller
- KALAMOS BOOKS
(CA)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 040368
- Title
- Afterlands
- Author
- Heighton, Steven
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- New New
- Jacket Condition
- New
- Edition
- 1st Canadian Edition
- ISBN 10
- 0676976778
- ISBN 13
- 9780676976779
- Publisher
- A.A. Knopf
- Place of Publication
- Toronto
- Date Published
- 2005
- Keywords
- FICTION CANADA ARCTIC GREEK CANADIAN WRITER
- Bookseller catalogs
- Canadian Fiction;
Terms of Sale
KALAMOS BOOKS
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About the Seller
KALAMOS BOOKS
Biblio member since 2004
STREETSVILLE, Ontario
About KALAMOS BOOKS
Kalamos Books specializes in Books about Greece (Ancient,Byzantine and particularly Modern Greece) and also books about the Balkans & Ottoman Turkey. As well there is a wide selection of Fiction including stories set in Greece, or by Greek authors, as well as historical novels. We can special order books from Greece and handle library purchase orders for books in Greek. In addition we have interesting travel books about other countries, and have some Canadiana and popular fiction.Ask about antique maps and prints and vintage postcards of Greece.
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- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
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