Explorer: The Quest for Adventure and the Great Unknown

Description

What does it mean to be an explorer in the twenty-first century? Explorer is the story of what first led Benedict Allen to head for the farthest reaches of our planet - at a time when there were still valleys and ranges known only to the remote communities who inhabited them. It is also the story of why, thirty years later, he is still exploring. It's the story of a journey back to a clouded mountain in New Guinea to find a man called Korsai who had once been a friend, and to fulfil a promise made as young men. It is also a story of what it is to be 'lost' and 'found'. Honest, sensitive and packed with insight, in Explorer Allen considers the lessons he has learnt from his numerous expeditions - most importantly, from the communities he has encountered: there is a value in disconnecting from all that we are familiar with, particularly in today's crowded world. And there is a value in connecting with worlds unfamiliar to us, some of whom have lived in harmony, not competition, with nature for generations. We explore not to plant a flag, or leave a mark, but to open up and allow the place and people to leave their mark on us.

Benedict Allen is an explorer and a former member of Council and Trustee of the Royal Geographical Society, Patron of the Environmental Justice Foundation, The Tony Foundation and Save the Rhino Trust. He is the editor of The Faber Book of Exploration. @benedictallen | benedictallen.com

A nuanced and sensitive long conversation with the people of Papua New Guinea. . . [Allen] is a sensitive observer . . . [he] has an ear for dialogue and the inconsequential, and a gift for bringing alive the characters he meets * * The Times * * A remarkable journey unfolds . . . [Allen] writes clean, honest prose, creating startling images of all he sees . . . an extraordinary story, painfully assembled and beautifully told * * Spectator * * A love song to the Yaifo and all peoples struggling to maintain dignity and culture in a world gone wrong * * Daily Telegraph * * Honest, sensitive and gives a brilliant look at a world most of us just dream about * * Our Man On The Ground Travel * *