Shackleton: a biography by Ranulph Fiennes
Shackleton: a biography tells the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922), who participated in four voyages of exploration to Antarctica. He was the leader of the second, third and fourth expeditions. The author, Sir Ranulph Fiennes (born 1944), is himself a polar explorer. I was motivated to read this book because I enjoy stories about adventure.
One of the themes of the book explores Shackleton’s motivations for being an Antarctic explorer. From a young age, he enjoyed reading stories about explorers. During his youth, explorers were the biggest stars of their time. Shackleton wanted to be wealthy and famous and to impress his future wife. He sought excitement and challenge. He was among several explorers competing to be the first to reach the South Pole.
Another theme is Shackleton’s strengths, particularly those required for leading Antarctic expeditions. He excelled at making difficult decisions in challenging situations, especially on the third expedition after the ship sank and they had to use their lifeboats. He was adept at staying positive and encouraging others on the expeditions to do the same. He was well-read and a good storyteller, which helped him on lecture tours he did after his expeditions. There is also some discussion of mistakes he made, particularly leading up to the third expedition, where the author says Shackleton did not prepare properly for the journey.
I liked this book because it is well-written, it tells an interesting story, it helped me understand Shackleton as a person and the author speaks with the experience of being a polar explorer himself.
I recommend this book to people who want to read a story of adventure and survival in very difficult situations.
Shackleton: A Biography by Ranulph Fiennes
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