Advertise on podcast: Alone : the classic polar adventure

It occurred to me then that half the confusion in the world comes from not knowing how little we need.” I'm malvika going to tell you about book ALONE by Richard E. Byrd which was published in 1938 Alone” is the memoir written by Richard E. Byrd of his sojourn in Antarctica for the long polar night of 1934. The Afterword refers to “Byrd’s self-imposed exile inside a hut nine by thirteen feet, ‘a pinprick in infinity’ etched into a floating glacier the size of France, just beyond the rim of human life.” The journey was intensely personal and dangerous, with Byrd barely escaping with his life. It was hard for him to revisit these days, to share publicly what occurred within himself – what he came to know. The story is personal and particular, yet it is universal for those willing to enter the depths of solitude and the awareness it brings. “The self-preservation instinct of leadership and a sense of shame over my flimsiness drove me to wall off the immediate past. I wanted no one to be able to look over the wall; also, something deep inside me demanded that I close my mind to the notion that I had been rescued. … I climbed the hatch and never looked back. Part of me remained forever at Latitude 80⁰ 08′ South: what survived of my youth, my vanity, perhaps, and certainly my scepticism. On the other hand, I did take away something that I had not fully possessed before: appreciation of the sheer beauty and miracle of being alive, and a humble set of values. … I live more simply now, and with more peace. … A man doesn’t begin to attain wisdom until he recognizes that he is no longer indispensable.” I would recommend this book to readers of memoirs, biographies or travel books. THANK YOU