The Balloonist
The Balloonist by MacDonald Harris, published by Penguin in 1978, is a novel that presents a unique blend of adventure and surrealism. Set in July 1897 at the northernmost inhabited region, the story follows a Swedish scientist, an American journalist, and a young French-speaking adventurer as they embark on an ambitious journey in a wicker gondola beneath a large red-and-white balloon. Their goal is to become the first individuals to reach the North Pole and return, navigating the challenges of the Arctic landscape.
Readers will find a narrative that intertwines elements of fiction and city life, capturing both the chilling and comic aspects of their expedition. The Balloonist reinvents the classic Arctic adventure, showcasing the characters’ experiences and interactions as they confront the unknown. This edition spans 255 pages and is presented in English, offering a fresh perspective on exploration and human ambition.
Official synopsis Publisher
As in the best of Jules Verne or Albert Sanchez Pinol, The Balloonist is a gripping and surreal yarn, chilling and comic by turn, that brilliantly reinvents the Arctic adventure.
It is July 1897, at the northernmost reach of the inhabited world. A Swedish scientist, an American journalist, and a young, French-speaking adventurer climb into a wicker gondola suspended beneath a huge, red-and-white balloon. The ropes are cut, the balloon rises, and the three begin their voyage: an attempt to become the first people to set foot on the North Pole, and return, borne on the wind. Philip Pullman says in his foreword: “Once I open any of MacDonald Harris’s novels I find it almost impossible not to turn and read on, so delightful is the sensation of a sharp intelligence at work. In The Balloonist , we see all of his qualities at their best.”
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