Sea Fever: The True Adventures that Inspired our Greatest Maritime Authors, from Conrad to Masefield, Melville and Hemingway - Hardcover

Jefferson, Sam

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1472908813 ISBN 13: 9781472908810

Publisher: Adlard Coles, 2015

Synopsis

How did a big-game fishing trip rudely interrupted by sharks inspire one of the key scenes in Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea? How did Robert Louis Stevenson's cruise to the cannibal-infested South Sea islands prove instrumental in his writing of The Beach of Falesa and The Ebb Tide? How did Masefield survive Cape Horn and a near-nervous breakdown to write Sea Fever?

The waters of this world have swirled through storytelling ever since the Celts spun the tale of Beowulf and Homer narrated The Odyssey. This enthralling book takes us on a tour of the most dangerous, exciting and often eccentric escapades of literature's sailing stars, and how these true stories inspired and informed their best-loved works. Arthur Ransome, Erskine Childers, Jack London and many others are featured as we find out how extraordinary fact fed into unforgettable fiction.

About this title

Review:

It is a testament to Jefferson's curatorial ability and joyful expository pen, as well as the famed words of his subjects, that could make readers long, sickly, for the sea. (Paste Magazine 2015-05-05)

Those who relish historical fiction, seafaring and maritime history or adventure, and literary history are sure to find much to enjoy in this pleasurable read. (Library Journal 2015-04-21)

Book Description:

Behind every great sea story there is a real-life adventure that inspired it, and this book shines a new light on some of our best-loved maritime authors - from Robert Louis Stevenson to Jack London, Hemingway, Masefield and Conrad - reflecting the dangerous, exciting and often eccentric escapades that fuelled their writing.

About this edition

• Publisher: Adlard Coles
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1472908813
• ISBN 13: 9781472908810
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 336