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© Collectie Stad Antwerpen, MAS

Madhouse at the end of the earth

Author Julian Sancton tells the compelling story of the Belgica expedition in his book ‘Madhouse at the end of the Earth’. He talks to the exhibition's curator, Waander Devillé, in a videocall about his research and the writing process. In this digital talk, you'll discover the courage, sacrifice and triumphs of the Belgica's intrepid explorers on an expedition that was not without its problems.

Do you have a question for the author? Mail it in advance to madelon.gilaude@antwerpen.be and who knows, maybe your question will be included!

© Justin Bishop

Julian Sancton

Julian Sancton is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in Vanity Fair, Esquire, GQ, The New Yorker, the Guardian, and Playboy, among other publications. He has reported from every continent, including Antarctica, which he first visited while researching this book. He lives in Larchmont, New York, with his partner, Jessica, and their two daughters. Writing Madhouse at the End of the Earth has allowed him to reconnect with his Belgian roots and taught him what it feels like to fall into water that is 2 degrees Celcius.  

In August 1897, the young Belgian commandant Adrien de Gerlache set sail for a three-year expedition aboard the good ship Belgica with dreams of glory. His destination was the uncharted end of the earth: the icy continent of Antarctica. In Madhouse at the End of the Earth, Julian Sancton unfolds an epic story of adventure and horror for the ages. Drawing on the diaries and journals of the Belgica's crew and with exclusive access to the ship's logbook, Sancton brings novelistic flair to a story of human extremes, one so remarkable that even today NASA studies it for research on isolation for future missions to Mars.

  • Voted one of the best books of 2021 by de Volksrant & De Morgen
  • "Exquisitely researched and deeply engrossing" - The New York Times
  • "The Energy of the narrative never flags. . . . Sancton has produced a thriller." -The Wall Street Journal

Programme

  • 7 pm: Visit at the exhibition 'To the Antarctic'
  • 8 pm: Talk

Practical

  • Date? Wednesday 25 September 2024, from 7 to 9 pm
  • Cost? € 15 (students and -18 years: € 12)
  • Language? English

About the exhibition

To the Antarctic

Belgica's polar pioneers
    Friday 21 June 2024 until Sunday 3 November 2024 from 10:00 to 17:00

Come and meet the expedition members of the Belgica. Some 125 years ago, they set off from Antwerp to the last blind spot on the world map: Antarctica. The expedition got stuck in the polar ice and made history as a result. Learn how the men managed to survive, who followed in their footsteps, and what Antarctica is like today.

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