A Woman in the Polar Night

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Es gibt da Überraschungen in der Weltferne und der langen Dunkelheit, denen man in solcher tiefgründigen Eindeutigkeit sonst kaum begegnet. Vielleicht muss sie fühlbar werden, diese letzte Verlassenheit, damit der Mensch zu Kreuze kriecht, um dann das Eigentliche zu erleben.

Aber dann ist es lustig, und vor allem geht es überhaupt nicht um Wichtigtuerei mit Gefährlichen Tödlichen Lebensgefahren, sondern darum, dass man am Polarkreis ein unkompliziertes Leben umgeben von Schönheit führen kann. The book has never been out of print in Germany, and someday I'd like to try a reread in the original German. Because the women were the ones who stayed at home, looking after the household and worrying about their explorer husbands. So konnte ich mich einfach fallen lassen und mit der Protagonistin die Polarnacht durchleben und staunen.My copy of the book contains a number of quaint little drawings by Christiane and three neat black and white photos of Christiane and Hermann, the shack in summer, and the shack in winter with just the stove pipe sticking out of the snow. Rather, it is a brisk yet deeply philosophical look at nature, the bonds between human and animals, the way human comfort can be stripped down to the barest essential when faced with the existential crisis of survival and the way, the human mind and spirit can wax, wane and make small steps to start all over again when nothing familiar exists except your own solitary self.

Yet, Ritter also appreciates the beauty of the landscape: the colours of the sky reflecting on the ice, the Northern lights, the mysterious beauty of the distant, snow-covered mountains and fjords, the moonlight and clear air. It also pained me that they felt there was absolutely no wrongdoing in going to that part of the world for absoultely no reason, other than their own self exploration and to kill innocent wildlife.Das habe ich noch nicht oft gelesen, und wenn es anderswo mal kurz um Schönheit geht, dann oft nur in Form einer Gefährlichen Tödlichen Schönheit, die auf männliche Weise bezwungen werden muss. But mainly she adapts to life there and never wants to leave, the austere beauty and the hard work capturing her heart.