September 2, 2003
Contact: George Yatchisin
(805) 893-3494
e-mail: yatchisin-g@ sa.ucsb.edu
Caroline Alexander tells the fascinating
True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty
in a lecture at UCSB Campbell Hall
Summary Facts:
- Caroline Alexander
- The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty
- Alexander is also the author of the highly-acclaimed The Endurance: Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition
- Alexander is a regular contributor to The New Yorker, Smithsonian, National Geographic and other periodicals
- Monday, October 6
- 8 pm / UCSB Campbell Hall
- General public: $10 / UCSB students: $8
- Tickets & Information: UCSB Arts & Lectures at 893-3535
Historian Caroline Alexander, the best-selling author of The Endurance: Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition, will present the compelling lecture The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty, based on her about to be released book of the same name, on Monday, October 6 at 8 pm in UCSB Campbell Hall.
Viking Books will publish The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty on September 15, 2003. The book reveals that practically everything we think we know about the one of the world’s most famous insurrections is wrong. What Alexander found in her monumental forensic effort shocked even her, as she discovered that Captain Bligh, for so long reviled as one of the greatest tyrants in history, was a leader to rival Shackleton. When Bligh was cast off his ship during the mutiny—wearing only his skivvies—and forced into a small craft with meager supplies, he managed to survive a 48-day, 3,600 mile ordeal on the open sea, finally reaching ground at Timor, without losing one of the 18 men that remained loyal to him.
Alexander examines the court-martial of the ten mutineers who were captured in Tahiti and brought to justice in England as a way to frame the saga. This fresh perspective vividly brings to life that morning in 1789 when Fletcher Christian led the mutiny, and allows us to hear the events in the salty language of the men themselves. Along with unfolding the true story, Alexander also discovers how and why the tale we know today came to be fabricated. It was largely a desperate attempt by the politically well-connected mutineers and their families to escape both dishonor to their family names and, at worst, death by hanging. Publishers Weekly asserts, “Alexander’s work is destined to become the definitive, enthralling history of a great seafaring adventure.”
In an interview Alexander aptly explained what happened on The Bounty: “In a strange way the mutiny was motiveless. It wasn’t a plan; there was never the great congress of mutineers muttering in the darkness, ‘OK, lads, we’re agreed, he’s pushed us far enough.’ Oddly, what I was most reminded of was certain times in my high school years when we had a substitute teacher, and there was this dynamic in the classroom that the bullies could smell. Somebody said the right thing, the right kind of laughter followed, and suddenly we were all bullies—even the good students.”
Alexander’s previous book The Endurance remained on The New York Times bestseller list for 18 weeks, has been translated into 15 languages, and helped reawaken interest in Ernest Shackleton’s remarkable Antarctic adventure. The research for the book grew out of the Endurance exhibit Alexander curated for the American Museum of Natural History in March 1999. In 2000 filmmaker George Butler directed both a 40-minute IMAX spectacular and a feature-length documentary based on the book from a script by Alexander. (UCSB Arts & Lectures screened the documentary on March 8, 2002.)
Caroline Alexander has written for The New Yorker, Granta, Smithsonian, Outside and National Geographic. Her other books include Mrs. Chippy’s Last Expedition: The Remarkable Journal of Shackleton’s Polar-Bound Cat, One Dry Season: In the Footsteps of Mary Kingsley and The Way to Xanadu. She lives on a farm in New Hampshire.
Courtesy of the UCSB Bookstore, books by Caroline Alexander will be available for purchase and signing at the evening event.
This lecture is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures.
For tickets or more information,
call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535.
Editor: For photos, please call
George Yatchisin at (805) 893-3494.