The Wager
A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
(Sprache: Englisch)
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Killers of the Flower Moon, a page-turning story of shipwreck, survival, and savagery, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth. The powerful narrative reveals the deeper meaning of...
lieferbar
versandkostenfrei
Buch (Kartoniert)
15.00 €
- Lastschrift, Kreditkarte, Paypal, Rechnung
- Kostenlose Rücksendung
Produktdetails
Produktinformationen zu „The Wager “
Klappentext zu „The Wager “
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Killers of the Flower Moon, a page-turning story of shipwreck, survival, and savagery, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth. The powerful narrative reveals the deeper meaning of the events on The Wager, showing that it was not only the captain and crew who ended up on trial, but the very idea of empire.A Best Book of the Year: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, TIME, Smithsonian, NPR, Vulture, Kirkus Reviews
"Riveting...Reads like a thriller, tackling a multilayered history—and imperialism—with gusto." —Time
"A tour de force of narrative nonfiction." —The Wall Street Journal
On January 28, 1742, a ramshackle vessel of patched-together wood and cloth washed up on the coast of Brazil. Inside were thirty emaciated men, barely alive, and they had an extraordinary tale to tell. They were survivors of His Majesty’s Ship the Wager, a British vessel that had left England in 1740 on a secret mission during an imperial war with Spain. While the Wager had been chasing a Spanish treasure-filled galleon known as "the prize of all the oceans," it had wrecked on a desolate island off the coast of Patagonia. The men, after being marooned for months and facing starvation, built the flimsy craft and sailed for more than a hundred days, traversing nearly 3,000 miles of storm-wracked seas. They were greeted as heroes.
But then ... six months later, another, even more decrepit craft landed on the coast of Chile. This boat contained just three castaways, and they told a very different story. The thirty sailors who landed in Brazil were not heroes – they were mutineers. The first group responded with countercharges of their own, of a tyrannical and murderous senior officer and his henchmen. It became clear that while stranded on the island the crew had fallen into anarchy, with warring factions fighting for dominion over the barren
... mehr
wilderness. As accusations of treachery and murder flew, the Admiralty convened a court martial to determine who was telling the truth. The stakes were life-and-death—for whomever the court found guilty could hang.
The Wager is a grand tale of human behavior at the extremes told by one of our greatest nonfiction writers. Grann’s recreation of the hidden world on a British warship rivals the work of Patrick O’Brian, his portrayal of the castaways’ desperate straits stands up to the classics of survival writing such as The Endurance, and his account of the court martial has the savvy of a Scott Turow thriller. As always with Grann’s work, the incredible twists of the narrative hold the reader spellbound.
The Wager is a grand tale of human behavior at the extremes told by one of our greatest nonfiction writers. Grann’s recreation of the hidden world on a British warship rivals the work of Patrick O’Brian, his portrayal of the castaways’ desperate straits stands up to the classics of survival writing such as The Endurance, and his account of the court martial has the savvy of a Scott Turow thriller. As always with Grann’s work, the incredible twists of the narrative hold the reader spellbound.
... weniger
Lese-Probe zu „The Wager “
Chapter 1The First Lieutenant
Each man in the squadron carried, along with a sea chest, his own burdensome story. Perhaps it was of a scorned love, or a secret prison conviction, or a pregnant wife left on shore weeping. Perhaps it was a hunger for fame and fortune, or a dread of death. David Cheap, the first lieutenant of the Centurion, the squadron s flagship, was no different. A burly Scotsman in his early forties with a protracted nose and intense eyes, he was in flight from squabbles with his brother over their inheritance, from creditors chasing him, from debts that made it impossible for him to find a suitable bride. Onshore, Cheap seemed doomed, unable to navigate past life s unexpected shoals. Yet as he perched on the quarterdeck of a British man-of-war, cruising the vast oceans with a cocked hat and spyglass, he brimmed with confidence even, some would say, a touch of haughtiness. The wooden world of a ship a world bound by the Navy s rigid regulations and the laws of the sea and, most of all, by the hardened fellowship of men had provided him a refuge. Suddenly he felt a crystalline order, a clarity of purpose. And Cheap s newest posting, despite the innumerable risks that it carried, from plagues and drowning to enemy cannon fire, offered what he longed for: a chance to finally claim a wealthy prize and rise to captain his own ship, becoming a lord of the sea.
The problem was that he could not get away from the damned land. He was trapped cursed, really at the dockyard in Portsmouth, along the English Channel, struggling with feverish futility to get the Centurion fitted out and ready to sail. Its massive wooden hull, 144 feet long and 40 feet wide, was moored at a slip. Carpenters, caulkers, riggers, and joiners combed over its decks like rats (which were also plentiful). A cacophony of hammers and saws. The cobblestone streets past the shipyard were congested with rattling wheelbarrows and horse-drawn wagons, with porters, peddlers,
... mehr
pickpockets, sailors, and prostitutes. Periodically, a boatswain blew a chilling whistle, and crewmen stumbled from ale shops, parting from old or new sweethearts, hurrying to their departing ships in order to avoid their officers lashes.
It was January 1740, and the British Empire was racing to mobilize for war against its imperial rival Spain. And in a move that had suddenly raised Cheap s prospects, the captain under whom he served on the Centurion, George Anson, had been plucked by the Admiralty to be a commodore and lead the squadron of five warships against the Spanish. The promotion was unexpected. As the son of an obscure country squire, Anson did not wield the level of patronage, the grease or interest, as it was more politely called that propelled many officers up the pole, along with their men. Anson, then forty-two, had joined the Navy at the age of fourteen, and served for nearly three decades without leading a major military campaign or snaring a lucrative prize.
Tall, with a long face and a high forehead, he had a remoteness about him. His blue eyes were inscrutable, and outside the company of a few trusted friends he rarely opened his mouth. One statesman, after meeting with him, noted, Anson, as usual, said little. Anson corresponded even more sparingly, as if he doubted the ability of words to convey what he saw or felt. He loved reading little, and writing, or dictating his own letters less, and that seeming negligence . . . drew upon him the ill will of many, a relative wrote. A diplomat later quipped that Anson was so unknowing about the world that he d been round it, but never in it.
Nevertheless, the Admiralty had recognized in Anson what Cheap had also seen in him in the two years since he d joined the Centurion s crew: a formidable seaman. Anson had a mas
It was January 1740, and the British Empire was racing to mobilize for war against its imperial rival Spain. And in a move that had suddenly raised Cheap s prospects, the captain under whom he served on the Centurion, George Anson, had been plucked by the Admiralty to be a commodore and lead the squadron of five warships against the Spanish. The promotion was unexpected. As the son of an obscure country squire, Anson did not wield the level of patronage, the grease or interest, as it was more politely called that propelled many officers up the pole, along with their men. Anson, then forty-two, had joined the Navy at the age of fourteen, and served for nearly three decades without leading a major military campaign or snaring a lucrative prize.
Tall, with a long face and a high forehead, he had a remoteness about him. His blue eyes were inscrutable, and outside the company of a few trusted friends he rarely opened his mouth. One statesman, after meeting with him, noted, Anson, as usual, said little. Anson corresponded even more sparingly, as if he doubted the ability of words to convey what he saw or felt. He loved reading little, and writing, or dictating his own letters less, and that seeming negligence . . . drew upon him the ill will of many, a relative wrote. A diplomat later quipped that Anson was so unknowing about the world that he d been round it, but never in it.
Nevertheless, the Admiralty had recognized in Anson what Cheap had also seen in him in the two years since he d joined the Centurion s crew: a formidable seaman. Anson had a mas
... weniger
Autoren-Porträt von David Grann
David Grann
Bibliographische Angaben
- Autor: David Grann
- 2024, Internationale Ausgabe, 352 Seiten, 16 farbige Abbildungen, Maße: 13,4 x 20,6 cm, Kartoniert (TB), Englisch
- Verlag: VINTAGE
- ISBN-10: 0593688805
- ISBN-13: 9780593688809
Sprache:
Englisch
Pressezitat
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERA Best Book of the Year: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, TIME, NPR, Esquire, BookPage
The most gripping sea-yarn I ve read in years .A tour de force of narrative nonfiction. Mr. Grann s account show how storytelling, whether to judges or readers, can shape individual and national fortunes as well as our collective memories.
Wall Street Journal
Glorious, steely a tightly written, relentless, blow-by-blow account that is hard to put down The Washington Post
As much a rousing adventure as an exploration of the power of narratives to shape our perception of reality. The New York Times
Propulsive .finely-detailed a ripping yarn remarkable. The Boston Globe
David Grann's latest work of narrative nonfiction, The Wager, is part Robinson Crusoe, part Lord of the Flies... Gripping Maureen Corrigan, NPR (Top 10 Book of 2023)
Riveting...The Wager reads like a thriller, tackling a multilayered history and imperialism with gusto. Time Magazine
The beauty of The Wager unfurls like a great sail He fixes his spyglass on the ravages of empire, of racism, of bureaucratic indifference and raw greed one of the finest nonfiction books I ve ever read. The Guardian (UK)
The story of the shipwreck and its aftermath features scenery-chewing characters, unexpected twists and an almost unimaginable amount of human misery. Grann, the author of the acclaimed Killers of the Flower Moon, tells it with style. He manages to wring maximum drama out of the events and sketch out nuanced portraits of key players on the doomed ship."
Associated Press
His dogged search through ships logs and other contemporaneous accounts of the disaster and its mutinous aftermath has turned up the kind of sterling details that make his writing sing; he
... mehr
is also interested in the way these events were recorded and then recounted, with many different people trying to shape the memory of what happened. Grann simultaneously reconstructs history while telling a tale that is as propulsive and adventure-filled as any potboiler.
The Atlantic
"A genre-defying literary naval-history thriller, part Master and Commander, part Lord of the Flies" Vanity Fair
"One of our finest nonfiction storytellers returns with a swashbuckling epic about shipwreck, scandal, mutiny, and murder" Esquire
A thrilling account dramatic and engrossing. The Economist
This astonishing tale of maritime warfare, mutiny and survival in the 18th-century Atlantic proves that a nonfiction book can be as thrilling as any summer blockbuster.
People
"The Wager" is a soaring literary accomplishment and seductive adventure tale enthralling, seamlessly crafted The Wager then, is an accomplishment as vividly realized and ingeniously constructed as Grann's previous work, on par with Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air and Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm. Welcome a classic.
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Gripping Combining impeccable research with exceptional storytelling powers, [Grann] spirits the reader aboard a creaking wooden ship trapped at the eye of a howling storm No book that you re likely to read either this year or next will prove more dramatic and enthralling than Grann s magnificent story of life both at sea and out on the desolate, mist-laden island whose solitary peak the Wager s unfortunate crew aptly named Mount Misery Financial Times
A masterclass in story-telling With a series of twists and turns worthy of a well-plotted thriller, the author of Killers of the Flower Moon, uncovers an epic sea-faring tale Epic true story as told by a master David Grann has produced this riveting book with the artistry of a superb novelist. The Toronto Star
[Grann s] meticulously researched stories, with their spare, simmering setups that almost always deliver stunning payoffs, have made him one of the preeminent adventure and true-crime writers working today [Grann] has mastered a streamlined, propulsive type of narrative that readers devour for its hide-and-seek reveals David s stuff reads like literature, but every detail, every quote, every seemingly implausible glimpse into a subject s mind is accounted for
New York Magazine
Your favorite writer s favorite writer for decades David Grann is poised to become the moment s leading storyteller... [Grann] specializes in gripping historical chronicles and crime stories so rich in intrigue that they would strain credulity in fiction [Grann s] become one of our culture s leading sources of holy s**t page-turners. GQ
David Grann is one of the premier nonfiction storytellers of our time Grann s masterful new book is at once an adventure on the high seas, a horror story, and a courtroom drama a little bit Rashomon meets Lord of the Flies. Rolling Stone
Not just a good but a great story, fraught with duplicity, terror and occasional heroism the story of the Wager is, like many of its antecedents from Homer s Odyssey to Mutiny on the Bounty a testament to the depths of human depravity and the heights of human endurance, and you can t ask for better than that from a story...The Wager will keep you in its grip to its head-scratching, improbable end. Los Angeles Times
The Atlantic
"A genre-defying literary naval-history thriller, part Master and Commander, part Lord of the Flies" Vanity Fair
"One of our finest nonfiction storytellers returns with a swashbuckling epic about shipwreck, scandal, mutiny, and murder" Esquire
A thrilling account dramatic and engrossing. The Economist
This astonishing tale of maritime warfare, mutiny and survival in the 18th-century Atlantic proves that a nonfiction book can be as thrilling as any summer blockbuster.
People
"The Wager" is a soaring literary accomplishment and seductive adventure tale enthralling, seamlessly crafted The Wager then, is an accomplishment as vividly realized and ingeniously constructed as Grann's previous work, on par with Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air and Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm. Welcome a classic.
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Gripping Combining impeccable research with exceptional storytelling powers, [Grann] spirits the reader aboard a creaking wooden ship trapped at the eye of a howling storm No book that you re likely to read either this year or next will prove more dramatic and enthralling than Grann s magnificent story of life both at sea and out on the desolate, mist-laden island whose solitary peak the Wager s unfortunate crew aptly named Mount Misery Financial Times
A masterclass in story-telling With a series of twists and turns worthy of a well-plotted thriller, the author of Killers of the Flower Moon, uncovers an epic sea-faring tale Epic true story as told by a master David Grann has produced this riveting book with the artistry of a superb novelist. The Toronto Star
[Grann s] meticulously researched stories, with their spare, simmering setups that almost always deliver stunning payoffs, have made him one of the preeminent adventure and true-crime writers working today [Grann] has mastered a streamlined, propulsive type of narrative that readers devour for its hide-and-seek reveals David s stuff reads like literature, but every detail, every quote, every seemingly implausible glimpse into a subject s mind is accounted for
New York Magazine
Your favorite writer s favorite writer for decades David Grann is poised to become the moment s leading storyteller... [Grann] specializes in gripping historical chronicles and crime stories so rich in intrigue that they would strain credulity in fiction [Grann s] become one of our culture s leading sources of holy s**t page-turners. GQ
David Grann is one of the premier nonfiction storytellers of our time Grann s masterful new book is at once an adventure on the high seas, a horror story, and a courtroom drama a little bit Rashomon meets Lord of the Flies. Rolling Stone
Not just a good but a great story, fraught with duplicity, terror and occasional heroism the story of the Wager is, like many of its antecedents from Homer s Odyssey to Mutiny on the Bounty a testament to the depths of human depravity and the heights of human endurance, and you can t ask for better than that from a story...The Wager will keep you in its grip to its head-scratching, improbable end. Los Angeles Times
... weniger
Kommentar zu "The Wager"
Schreiben Sie einen Kommentar zu "The Wager".
Kommentar verfassen