Roald Amundsen is usually known simply as the man who beat Captain Scott in the race to the South Pole in 1911. But this one-dimensional picture ignores the complexity of the man and the many problems – financial, personal and psychological – that he had to overcome to emerge as the world’s premier explorer.
In this deeply researched historical fiction account, Frank McLynn reveals the complicated man he was: ruthless but sentimental, courageous but devious, and above all a dedicated womaniser prepared to sublimate his libido in the lust for glory. The competing tugs of his private/inner life with the public achievements provide a story that is as fascinating a psychological study as it is an epic of polar exploration.
Due out July 2018