Description
Dive into the harrowing tale of survival and conflict in the novel that pays homage to Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness.' Set against the historical backdrop of 1728, this gripping narrative explores the turbulent first encounters between Danish colonists and the resilient Greenlanders. Experience the emotional depth of a community battling against overwhelming odds as they navigate religious strife, personal sacrifices, and the pursuit of power in a land teeming with harsh natural beauty and complex human emotions.
The story unfolds as Governor Fredrik IV sends a motley crew—including merchants, soldiers, and two trainee priests—to establish a colony in Greenland, lured by the promise of untapped resources. Yet, their arrival disrupts the fragile equilibrium maintained by Hans Egede, a missionary priest already entrenched in the land. The cultural clash intensifies as Egede’s mission faces resistance from the shaman Aappaluttoq, marking the beginning of an epic confrontation between differing worldviews.
As tales of unsanitary conditions and famine emerge, witness Egede’s unwavering resolve even in the face of tragedy, sacrifice, and moral dilemmas. This profoundly affecting historical novel not only tells the story of a colony’s rise and fall but also illuminates the enduring struggle between light and darkness, faith and doubt.
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled. Condition: BRAND NEW. ISBN: 9781529014358. Format: B-format paperback. Year: 2023. Publisher: Pan Macmillan UK.
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled.
Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9781529014358
Format: B-format paperback
Year: 2023
Publisher: Pan Macmillan UK
Description:
'A superb novel . . . A hugely powerful chronicle of lives lived on the edge' - Sunday Times, Books of the Year
In the tradition of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, an immensely powerful historical novel about the first encounters between Danish colonists and Greenlanders in the early eighteenth century, of brutal clashes between priests and pagans and the forces that drive each individual towards darkness or light.
1728: The Danish King Fredrik IV sends a governor to Greenland to establish a colony, in the hopes of exploiting the country’s allegedly vast natural resources. A few merchants, a barber-surgeon, two trainee priests, a blacksmith, some carpenters and soldiers and a dozen hastily married couples go with him.
The missionary priest Hans Egede has already been in Greenland for several years when the new colonists arrive. He has established a mission there, but the converts are few. Among those most hostile to Egede is the shaman Aappaluttoq, whose own son was taken by the priest and raised in the Christian faith as his own. Thus the great rift between two men, and two ways of life, is born.
The newly arrived couples – men and women plucked from prison – quickly sink into a life of almost complete dissolution, and soon unsanitary conditions, illness and death bring the colony to its knees. Through the starvation and the epidemics that beset the colony, Egede remains steadfast in his determination – willing to sacrifice even those he loves for the sake of his mission.
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The story unfolds as Governor Fredrik IV sends a motley crew—including merchants, soldiers, and two trainee priests—to establish a colony in Greenland, lured by the promise of untapped resources. Yet, their arrival disrupts the fragile equilibrium maintained by Hans Egede, a missionary priest already entrenched in the land. The cultural clash intensifies as Egede’s mission faces resistance from the shaman Aappaluttoq, marking the beginning of an epic confrontation between differing worldviews.
As tales of unsanitary conditions and famine emerge, witness Egede’s unwavering resolve even in the face of tragedy, sacrifice, and moral dilemmas. This profoundly affecting historical novel not only tells the story of a colony’s rise and fall but also illuminates the enduring struggle between light and darkness, faith and doubt.
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled. Condition: BRAND NEW. ISBN: 9781529014358. Format: B-format paperback. Year: 2023. Publisher: Pan Macmillan UK.
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled.
Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9781529014358
Format: B-format paperback
Year: 2023
Publisher: Pan Macmillan UK
Description:
'A superb novel . . . A hugely powerful chronicle of lives lived on the edge' - Sunday Times, Books of the Year
In the tradition of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, an immensely powerful historical novel about the first encounters between Danish colonists and Greenlanders in the early eighteenth century, of brutal clashes between priests and pagans and the forces that drive each individual towards darkness or light.
1728: The Danish King Fredrik IV sends a governor to Greenland to establish a colony, in the hopes of exploiting the country’s allegedly vast natural resources. A few merchants, a barber-surgeon, two trainee priests, a blacksmith, some carpenters and soldiers and a dozen hastily married couples go with him.
The missionary priest Hans Egede has already been in Greenland for several years when the new colonists arrive. He has established a mission there, but the converts are few. Among those most hostile to Egede is the shaman Aappaluttoq, whose own son was taken by the priest and raised in the Christian faith as his own. Thus the great rift between two men, and two ways of life, is born.
The newly arrived couples – men and women plucked from prison – quickly sink into a life of almost complete dissolution, and soon unsanitary conditions, illness and death bring the colony to its knees. Through the starvation and the epidemics that beset the colony, Egede remains steadfast in his determination – willing to sacrifice even those he loves for the sake of his mission.
Translate