A Woman in the Polar Night

'Evokes the crunch of snow, the aroma of seal oil, and the shimmering dance of the Aurora Borealis' Sara Wheeler

'A spellbinding, haunting chronicle' Isabella Tree

Rediscover this captivating classic memoir - an enchanting account of a woman's transformative year in the Arctic wilderness

In 1934, artist Christiane Ritter bids farewell to her comfortable life, embarking on a year-long sojourn with her husband on the remote Arctic island of Spitsbergen. Upon arrival, she's stunned to discover their accommodation: a dilapidated hut perched on the edge of a desolate fjord, hundreds of miles from civilisation.

Initially, Christiane recoils from the biting cold, stark landscape, and scarcity of provisions. However, as she braves encounters with polar bears and seals, traverses vast ice fields, and endures months of perpetual darkness, she finds herself irresistibly drawn to the Arctic's raw, otherworldly splendour.

This luminous memoir recounts her extraordinary journey towards liberation and self-discovery in the ultimate adventure.

A gem in the Pushkin Press Classics collection: timeless narratives by literary luminaries, carefully curated from across the globe

Translated by Jane Degras
Foreword by Sara Wheeler

CHRISTIANE RITTER, born in 1897, was an Austrian artist and author. She penned A Woman in the Polar Night upon returning to Austria from Spitsbergen in 1934. This enduring travel classic has never gone out of print in German and has been translated into seven languages. In her later years, Ritter often remarked, 'Everyone should spend a year in the Arctic. It teaches you what truly matters in life.' She passed away in Vienna in 2000 at the remarkable age of 103.

Product Information:

Book ISBN:	9781805330899
Book Weight:	210g