Jun 30, 2008

Podcast: Captain Cook and Georg Forster in the Antarctic

A 55 minute audio documentary from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

It´s not well known that the first major scientific expedition to the Antarctic was led by James Cook during his 1773 voyage to New Zealand.

It´s even less well known that the voyage was recorded by a young German writer and natural historian who sailed with Cook.

Georg Forster´s A Voyage Round the World was one of the most famous and influential travel narratives of its time: a scientific adventure story which ranges from the terrors of the Antarctic ice to cannibalism amongst the Māori in New Zealand, which is graphically recounted in this documentary.

In this podcast hear readings from Forster´s book, Cook´s journals and The German Traitor, a novel based on Forster´s life.

No comments: