See, I didn't even know that Franz Josef Land existed. But as I picked up this book, I had to look it up. It's actually a collection of small islands in northern Russia, near Novaya Zemlya. It's one of those islands that are near the North Pole, but it's pretty much uninhabited, so it's outside of my consciousness I suppose. But in any case, in 1872-1874, a group of men from Austria-Hungary, led by Julius Payer, sailed towards this direction. They were onboard the sailing ship, the Tegetthoff. However, their ship got trapped in sea ice, and therefore they drifted without direction. At some point, they reached this archipelago, and that was the catalyst for the discovery of these islands.
This book was actually a written account of Payer, after he returned to Vienna. Of course, he survived, as this book exists. But his ordeal was tough. He had to abandon the ship, as the sea ice was not giving in, and the ship was still trapped after two years drifting all over the place. Eventually, they abandoned the ship using sleds and small boats, and they travelled southwards, until they were rescued by a Russian fishing boat, which took them to Norway. From there, they took a steamer to go to Hamburg, and from Hamburg, a train to Vienna.
I suppose it is a tough life to be an explorer. One requires exquisite survival skills. And here I am reading about their experiences in the comfort of my own home. In any case, it piqued my interest, and I actually coincidentally was in Vienna when I was reading this book, and that gave me the opportunity to check out the Military History Museum, where some paintings of Payer about this expedition are actually on display.
Overall, I liked this book. It was educational, and it allowed me to learn more about this historical event. I also took the opportunity to dive deep into European history, given that while I am aware of the existence of Austria as a country, I am not really well-versed when it comes to its history, in particular back when it was a dual monarchy called Austria-Hungary. It was during this period when this expedition took place.
In any case, I learned a lot from this book. I give it 3 out of 5 stars. It's probably not for everyone, but at least it would be interesting to those who have specialised interests in historical expeditions.
See my other book reviews here.
