Winner Art of Freedom the Life and Climbs of Voytek Kurtyka
Title: Fine art of Freedom – The Life and Climbs of Voytek Kurtyka
Author: Bernadette McDonald
Publisher: Vertebrate Publishing
Genre: Not-fiction, Biography, Outdoors
Book format: Hardback
Sugariness Strawberries:
Clarification:Voytek Kurtyka is one of the greatest alpinists of all fourth dimension. Born in 1947, he was one of the leading lights of the Polish golden historic period of mountaineering that redefined Himalayan climbing in the 1970s and 1980s.
His visionary approach to climbing resulted in many renowned ascents, such as the complete Broad Superlative traverse, the 'night-naked' speed climbs of Cho Oyu and Shishapangma and, higher up all, the alpine-mode get-go ascent of the west face up of Gasherbrum Four. Dubbed the 'climb of the century', his route on GIV with the Austrian Robert Schauer is – equally of 2017 – unrepeated. His about frequent climbing partners were alpine legends of their time: Polish Himalayan giant Jerzy Kukuczka, Swiss mount guide Erhard Loretan and British alpinist Alex MacIntyre.
After repeated requests to take the Piolets d'Or lifetime achievement award (the Oscars of the climbing world), Kurtyka finally accepted the honour in the spring of 2016. A fiercely private private, he has declined countless invitations for interviews, lectures and festival appearances, but he has agreed to collaborate with internationally renowned and laurels-winning author Bernadette McDonald on this long-awaited biography.
Art of Freedom is a profound and moving profile of i of the international climbing globe'south well-nigh respected, complex and reclusive mountaineers.
*Free copy provided by publisher for review…
Review: This is such an interesting book, a brilliant biography of a very interesting climber. Voytek Kurtyka has successfully climbed many mountains and is a well-known name in climbing, but finding out about his personal story has not been easy. He is a very individual individual and has refused to accept a prestigious lifetime achievement award for years. But in this book we finally learn about Voytek's personal experiences, of his bang-up climbs and the unique attitude that he has to his climbing.
I was excited to read this volume, particularly as Voytek Kurtyka is Smoothen and nearly of my family is from there besides (so it's ever squeamish to read well-nigh anything Shine!). I take to admit, having but recently get interested in mountaineering, I didn't know nigh Voytek just this volume has not only been interesting to read but it'due south also kept me gripped cheers to the bright writing of the author Bernadette McDonald. The book begins with a bit most Voytek receiving and repeatedly rejecting the Piolets d'Or award, earlier continuing with a chronological story of his life. It begins with his parents and information technology was fascinating to read nearly the things Voytek felt and did equally a child which eventually led to him climbing.
As the book continues you get a real insight into how mountaineering was for Polish climbers at the fourth dimension. Poland has had a lot of problems in its past, and many of these affected what climbers did and I loved learning well-nigh the illegal climbs and later, the clever merely also illegal import business concern that Voytek and other Poles were running at that fourth dimension. Information technology's very interesting and although I knew about the Polish being clever in this way, I never expected it to be washed on such a big scale. Learning about all these extra parts of Voytek'southward life outside of the climbs themselves, but made his whole life story feel more real. It brought Voytek's story to life and I really enjoyed it.
Of class what I enjoyed even more was reading about the climbs. At that place are many different climbs and I won't listing them here, but it's ever interesting to hear climbers ain experiences, especially the little things like the arguments that they had and what was said and washed – even what they ate! For everyone the climb is unlike and Voytek's own personal experiences are then interesting. I like how spiritual he felt most the mountains he was climbing, and later his overall spiritual attitude to life. Knowing how private Voytek is about all this, only makes reading it so much more special, like you have special permission to learn virtually this human being.
The book is filled with 4 sections of pictures among the text. These include pictures of where Voytek grew up and his parents, as well as many of his climbs and the cute mountains. In that location are also some lovely photos of his family, his children and some nifty photos all the way up to the nowadays time. There some uses of the f or due south swear words simply information technology is very exceptional and fits with the story being told.
I actually enjoyed reading this book, there'due south something brilliant about the mode that the writer has told Voytek's story that I actually could imagine the climbs and his experiences as if I was there. It's besides a book that you can read whether yous are into climbing or not. I am new to the genre and have been captivated by this biography. It's definitely a book I volition exist recommending to my family and friends and it's one I am sure I'll savor reading over again.
Practise you like this book? Accept you read whatever other interesting biographies or books virtually climbing? Permit me know what you lot call back in the comments beneath 🙂
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