Roald Amundsen captivated the entire world with his polar expeditions. For Norway, he became a striking symbol of what a small country can achieve, equipped with courage and audacity in competition with the world's great powers and the forces of nature.
No one has succeeded in his expeditions to such an extent as Amundsen. Yet posterity has cast shadows over his achievements by painting a very dark picture of his leadership qualities. Negative personal characteristics have outdone each other and the hero-worship of the pre-war era quickly turned into its opposite.
In this broad biography, Aleksander Wisting paints a new and engaging picture of the Norwegian polar explorers of the past, from the first unsteady baby steps at Uranienborg in Christiania, via the Belgica expedition and the Northwest Passage, to the South Pole and the North Pole, before he passes out of time somewhere between Tromsø and Svalbard.
Roald Amundsen's life was an adventure so full of excitement, entertainment and drama that it never ceases to fascinate and engage.
