Yo, Roald Amundsen! Happy South Pole Day . . . .
Hats off to Roald Amundsen, the most accomplished polar explorer of them all. One hundred and three years ago today, on Dec. 14, 1911, he reached the geographical South Pole as leader of the first Antarctic expedition to do so. Fifteen years later, in 1926, he also became the first to reach the North Pole…
Read MoreJohn Rae tie prompts expression of remorse . . .and THANKS!
I have been remiss. I received this gorgeous tie — which is embossed! — a few days ago. And, though I posted on Facebook, I neglected to check in here to say . . . THANKS! I say this specifically to the John Rae Society, which is based in Stromness, Orkney, one of my favorite…
Read MoreMan in tartan vest invites nonfiction writers to cyber-gathering
Faithful followers of this blog will know that I am reluctant to publish anything that even hints of self-promotion. But with the above quarter-page ad (!) surfacing in today’s Globe & Mail, in a good-looking section celebrating the best books of the year, I feel driven to make an exception. As you can…
Read MoreCanadian Geographic celebrates the discovery of Franklin’s Erebus
The December issue of Canadian Geographic is billed as a “special collector’s edition,” and rightly so. It is built around the recent discovery of Erebus, the long-lost ship of Sir John Franklin, pictured above on the right. Contributors include John Geiger, Wade Davis, Leona Aglukkaq, Fergus Fleming, Noah Richler, Russell Potter and yours truly. Put…
Read MoreIs Mount Royal University ready for this?
This may or may not be a photo of Mount Royal University. Guaranteed: it IS a photo taken within a couple of hundred kilometres of that august institution. The rationale? Our Hero will get out into these hilly environs next March, after spending a week at MRU as writer-in-residence. He just signed a contract, undertaking…
Read MoreJohn Rae sweeps Our Hero into the Polish Times
You can read the whole story of John Rae at Westminster Abbey by clicking here — but only if you read Polish. Me, I can read, in the highlight paragraph, not just my own name but the book title Fatal Passage. I find this noteworthy because we have two grandchildren, ages five and two, who…
Read MoreOrcadian poet commemorates John Rae’s arrival at Westminster
After the dedication ceremony at Westminster Abbey, back at the Scottish office in Dover House, Orcadian poet Harvey Johnston read a wonderful, Burnsian poem entitled Rae in the Abbey. He graciously agreed to let me publish part of it. The final four stanzas run as follows. I have no photo of Johnston, but the above…
Read MoreEyewitness report from Westminster Abbey: John Rae lives!
–> LONDON, England – The ledger stone is brilliantly placed. It reads: “John Rae / 1813 – 1893 / Arctic Explorer.” Newly installed in Westminster Abbey in the heart of London, it is situated directly beneath the elaborate bust of Sir John Franklin. The effect is one of completion. Given the privilege of offering “a…
Read MoreCanada’s Scottish architects designed a pluralistic, postmodern nation
When Maclean’s magazine invited me to ruminate on why Canadians should care about the Scottish referendum, I discovered that, yes, I did have a few thoughts. The piece runs around 1,100 words, and can be found here in its entirety. It begins like-so: In uptown Toronto, if you look east across the street from the…
Read MoreNew edition sheds light on explorer who discovered the Fate of Franklin
Hats off to the folks at Touchwood Editions. They’re launching this new edition of John Rae’s Arctic Correspondence on the same day, September 30, as Rae is to be welcomed into Westminster Abbey. Yes, these are author’s copies. I contributed a Foreword to this edition. While you can pick up a used copy of the…
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