Farlig tomandsfærd

By Ejnar Mikkelsen

Book Overview

Now a major Netflix film co-written by and starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones)

The harrowing, amazing, and often amusing personal account of two mismatched Arctic explorers who banded together to keep themselves sane on an historic expedition gone horribly wrong

Ejnar Mikkelsen was devoted to Arctic exploration. In 1910 he decided to search for the diaries of the ill-fated Mylius-Erichsen expedition, which had set out to prove that Robert Peary's outline of the East Greenland coast was a myth, erroneous and presumably self-serving. Iver Iversen was a mechanic who joined Mikkelsen in Iceland when the expedition's boat needed repair.

Several months later, Mikkelsen and Iversen embarked on an incredible journey during which they would suffer every imaginable Arctic travail: implacable cold, scurvy, starvation, frostbite, snow blindness, plunges into icy seawater, impossible sledding conditions, Vitamin A poisoning, debilitated dogs, apocalyptic storms, gaping crevasses, and assorted mortifications of the flesh. Mikkelsen's diary was even eaten by a bear.

Three years of this, coupled with seemingly no hope of rescue, would drive most crazy, yet the two retained both their sanity as well as their humor.

Indeed, what may have saved them was their refusal to become as desolate as their surroundings...

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who co-adapted the book into a screenplay, provides the foreword to this new edition of the classic exploration memoir, which was one of The Explorer's Club's 100 Best Books of the 20th Century.

Originally published as Two Against the Ice: A Classic Arctic Survival Story and a Remarkable Account of Companionship in the Face of Adversity. Translated from the Danish by Maurice Michael.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1586423347
• ISBN13: 9781586423346
• Release Date: January 2022
• Publisher: Steerforth Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Letter from Denmark

Worth the price of the book to read about the calendar pictures and the "Letter from Denmark" episode. A testament to the amazing character of the two men: loyalty, determination, courage, charitableness, and the ability to find a song in one's heart even when the chips are down. And down they were! That the two explorers were able to survive their multi-years' long ordeal is amazing. An adventure/travel story at its best. I'll definitely be re-reading this one and sharing it with others, too.

Excellent story that holds you in its grip

I was skeptical that a story of two men surviving in the face of such adversity could be interesting for a whole book. I found I could hardly put it down & that I didn't want it to end. It is an excellent, well written book.

A classic on arctic survival

In 1906 The Danmark Expedition met disaster in NortEast Greenland: Three men, Mylius Erichsen, Høegh Hagen and Brønlund died from cold and starvation. later the body of Brønlund was found, but the bodies of his companions have never been found. Many expedition have gone there to search for them, and one of the first attempts was the "Alabama" expedition led by Ejnar Mikkelsen. On this expedition Mikkelsen and his companion Iversen walked several hundred miles to search for the dead men. Mikkelsen and Iversen had a hard time and nearly died from starvation, but they survived, and this is the story about this journey. Translated from Danish: Farlig tomandsfærd

exploring without the hardships

a great read. felt i was there on the ice. nice to read about people who can get along during times of adversity.

PURE ADVENTURE!!

Great Book! Written by the explorer himself, the story comes 'straight from the horse's mouth' telling of the his expedition to Greenland in the early 1900's. Seeing inside the lives of Mikkelsen and his companion, Iversen during this expedition makes me wonder if anyone today in our soft, comfortable life could ever endure what they did. Their outlook and physical stamina during their hardship makes my 'discomforts' look like peanuts!