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A Norwegian with a complex background
Mr Nansen's passport opens far from the sea, in Madame Abkarian's Parisian bedroom. Saved from the Armenian genocide by a so-called Nansen passport, a document created on the initiative of Fridtjof Nansen to enable stateless people to flee persecution, the old lady's story is the pretext for discovering the career and personality of this adventurous Norwegian, born in the 19th century.
The son of a good family studied biology, and during an expedition on a seal ship in Svalbard, the ship was blocked by ice and drifted towards Greenland. According to Nansen, it was this first expedition that triggered all the others. The athletic young man, a great skier, set out to cross Greenland from east to west coast, crossing the ice sheet with human-drawn sledges and skis. The expedition was a success, making Nansen a Norwegian hero in a country seeking independence from Sweden.
A boat to drift to the North Pole
The Fram is a boat that has left its mark on the history of polar navigation, enabling Roald Amundsen to reach the South Pole . But was actually built by Fritdjof Nansen to designs by Colin Archer. In this novel, which focuses more on Nansen's life, there is little maritime aspect. We do, however, experience the expedition aboard the Fram, to validate the theory of pack-ice drift, and the crew's failure to reach the North Pole, contenting themselves with being the most northerly men of their time, at 86°15 North. The end of the expedition contributed to the glory of Nansen, who survived with another member of the adventure, spending months in a semi-buried hut.
The end of Nansen's life was linked to the international diplomacy of the time. Faced with war, he worked to repatriate prisoners and create the Nansen passport for stateless people, which bears his name and saved thousands of lives in the conflicts of the early twentieth century.
The sea as a means of adventure
If you're expecting a tale of the sea, or the biography of a marine explorer, as we also mistakenly thought, there's no point in opening this book mr Nansen's Passport . On the other hand, if you're interested in polar exploration and history, don't hesitate to take the plunge. A pleasant read, it introduces us to a character who is not necessarily sympathetic, but whose life is full of color. The mind can wander and imagine itself sailing for a while in the Norwegian fjords and among the icebergs of Greenland.
Mr Nansen's Passport
- By Alexis Jenni
- Editions Paulsen
- 194 pages
