Stefan Zweig writes a biography of Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese navigator who persuaded the Spanish crown to finance a voyage west to the Spice Islands. Zweig describes the political and commercial background, the search for a passage, the discovery of the strait that bears his name, the mutinies, hunger and storms, and Magellan's death in the Philippines in 1521, before his one surviving ship finished the first circumnavigation. He emphasizes the stubbornness and isolation of the commander.
It suits readers of narrative history and the age of exploration, and anyone who likes Zweig's energetic, dramatic biographical style. It reads like an adventure story, grounded in documents.
Outward-looking and clear-cut; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Evidence Seeker. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1983
- Publisher
- Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag
- ISBN
- 9783596253562
- Language
- DE
