I spent a week on Spitsbergen in early 2014, not long after the sun reappeared, and discovering Christiane Ritter’s memoir through this book club is such joy. I was there doing research on the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and staying in the archipelago’s only town, Longyearbyen (population 2,300), so I was quite comfortable, but I have strong visual memories that fit Ritter’s descriptions of the rocks and mountains and frozen waterfalls.
I am so loving this book. And do use Katherine’s link to the Lucy Jones article about Christiane Ritter. There are two wonderful photographs in it, the first of Hermann and Christiane stood their hut, and the second a picture of the hut on its own. Those two pictures simply brought the book even more alive for me. Can you see how the one of the two of them standing outside the hut has the doorway at the end of the building, and in the picture of the hut there is an extension past the doorway? This will be the room Hermann and Karl built for Christine. I can almost feel myself there as they were building it, and the excitement she must have felt as she saw it being put up.
The comfort I live in now suddenly feels so excessive and unnecessary. Her words convey some of the stark reality of how little we really do need, both in terms of material possessions and in pastimes to keep us occupied. Whilst recognising how horribly dependent I have become on comfort, this book makes me yearn for her experience. And what a different world we would live in if her words about her experience had been taken to heart.
I have so many questions about her relationship with her husband. Her writing is beautiful but I find my window into it all as confined as the special room the men build for her. Her journey into this male domain is as almost as remote as the landscape.
I am definitely wondering about the relationship ecosystem in that small hut! Karl is younger, too, I think, and I’m wondering how the basics of sleeping/dressing/and, um, “intimate moments” are unfolding in this small space among this unconventional household. Can’t quite tell if she thinks of Karl as a stand in for her child—she describes him as sort of a goofball—or as something else. I think the other thing that keeps coming to mind as I read is the spreading shadow of fascism in Europe. I’m a historian by trade so putting anything I read into context is a mental habit, but The way C talks about Europe and its quotidienne luxuries makes me wonder if she’s running from something more than just a well functioning stove. Opting out of modernity at a moment in which its attendant moral crisis is perhaps becoming most clear might be one way to feel “clean” in all that awfulness. Maybe a way of not collaborating or resisting but simply absenting oneself from the whole apparatus of politics.
I always want to know practical details about sleeping and washing and dressing in books too. I love details about 'setting up house' (it is my favourite thing to read!), but I always want to know details like how did they go to the toilet? In this book how did Christiane manage her period? Will she and Hermann have sex, and, if so, how will she avoid getting pregnant? What would happen if she had a baby in the Artic?!
Regarding the historical context of the book (1930s), your words 'Maybe a way of not collaborating or resisting but simply absenting oneself from the whole apparatus of politics' is a really interesting point.
I have just taken a moment to read comments from other readers and completely agree that this is a lovely book and how wonderful to be reading it during a cold spell in Atlanta, where snow is forecast for tomorrow. My husband and I went to Iceland in 2018 and many of her descriptions reminded me of that trip. I have wondered, however, about Christiane and Hermann's relationship. He left 3 years prior and now they are together again after such a long time apart, but Karl is there too! Has anyone else had the same thoughts?
Definitely. I found myself wondering about their relationship. She didnt even know until she arrived that Karl would be with them in a tiny hut for a year. I would be furious! I felt her husband was distant and intolerant. At one point he calls her “stupid”. -( in my edition pg 191. Maybe the translation?? ) And It sure didn’t seem Hermann is returning anytime soon either. No responsibility for the daughter?
Katherine, what a gift you have given us! My winter so far has been full of the Children of Green Knowe and now the wonderful Christiane Ritter thanks to you. Both are completely new to me and feel so perfect in this dark, cold and snowy time of year. I can’t wait for winter to descend on her. In the meantime, I’m loving the thought of a gorgeous arctic fox hanging around like a faithful dog!
It‘s been a joy re-reading this book, or these first chapters to be precise, after many years. The original German language, to me, is beautiful, serene and holding both the vastness and ruggedness of the landscape and the intricacies of details of this new daily life. I also find her language beautifully old-fashioned - but that might be because I am ignorant of her Viennese dialect (the Austrians here will tell me :)).
What I loved most about this first part:
- her unwrapping the farewell gifts from back home, which are all so touchingly thoughtful
- the unshakeable calmness and confidence of her husband grounded in acquired competence and experience and
- the way she can, slowly, begin to rest in, and likewise grow into, that very confidence.
You can find it in the words relating to food, like comparing the mountains on Grohuk to "Kuchenberge" or "Gugelhupf" which very much describes their shape. When she bakes for the men, she makes "Semmeln" a type of roll we all grow up with. Also by the way they adres each other. Karl is a "Bub or Bursche" to her, a young lad. While the men adres her tenderly as "Fräulein" , a young girl - she was not quite that young, married and a mother. But certainly a "Fräulein" to these circumstances.
I was really excited to start reading Christane’s account of her time in the artic. I haven’t come across this book before. I love the way she describes the scenery, I feel myself transported there even if only a little because I don’t think you could ever comprehend the beauty and fierceness of the land and waters unless you see it first hand. I am with you on the stove though! I’m also jarred by the slaying of seals, foxes and eider’s and have found myself skimming over those graphic heart wrenching paragraphs! I am truly immersed in the book though!
I had never heard of this book before your newsletter, but WOW I'm riveted. It just propels me forward because it's all so beyond anything I'm familiar with and I'm so invested in her journey. It is so mindblowing that the author just picked up from her comfortable life to live for a year in the arctic, even with her husband. My heart when the ship sailed off like "see you in a year!" And then she finds out this third dude she's never met is living with them??? lol. Definitely need his help but I'd also be like WHAT? Whewwww. Yes, agree that it's so fascinating to see her describe her husband's transformation! And just the bravery and sense of adventure it would take to live in those elements: what are we eating? we don't know, we're going to hunt. Okay, we're eating seal for three meals a day for weeks. lol. But also there's definitely the longing to see the landscape and that kind of solitude for sure. The bath sounded so lovely and I was so happy for her in that moment and it made me want to make my baths more magical. Truly highlights the things we take for granted, and like your book Katherine, how do we make life more enchanted? Especially in these apocalyptic times. Omg the arctic fox! Stole my heart.
The place stays very strong in my mind and I can’t wait to read the rest of the book and all of your reactions. Hurray for book clubs that go after books that aren’t on the best-seller list! This one is a real find.
What a wonderful book to be reading in the cold, dark month of January. Few modern things excite me but I feel very grateful for my efficient, non-smoky stove! I was concerned about Christiane's stove too and had to read more about her. She lived a very long life, probably enhanced by the arctic year! Her gift for describing the natural world and the human condition is remarkable
I can't put the book down, never heard of it until I joined, now nearly finished! And thank you Katherine for the link, seeing the photo and putting a face to Christiane seems to have made the text come to life even more. The stove reminds me of our old rayburn, chopping logs and doing battle even to get a flame to catch let alone bake bread of any kind! I particularly enjoyed the idea in these chapters of simplicity and pairing back to basics compared to the initial collection of items that Christiane felt she needed. Likewise even food and the human essentials needed to survive are paired back, this idea of absolute basics when she comments about Karl going to Cape Roos with no food and just a gun will suffice. What is it that any of us really need for existence? Certainly made me ponder what clutter and 'extras' I hoard! X
Christiane Ritter’s leap into the Arctic wilderness is both awe-inspiring and humbling—her willingness to adapt to such an alien environment highlights a resilience many of us might struggle to find today (myself especially!). I was especially moved by your insight into Hermann’s transformation, how the wild tempered him with patience and serenity. It’s fascinating to consider how even the smallest comforts, like a bath, can feel like profound luxuries in such a stark setting. Thank you for guiding us into this journey!
I had never heard of this book, and I am finding it just amazing. I bought the audio book (which is rare for me, not sure why I felt drawn to it), and it is so submersive. I can't stop listening to it. In the beginning, I am struck by the contrast of her discovery of the landscape and the hut with the luxury of the ship that brought her North. And then I'm thinking, this was 1934. The luxury of that ship probably would feel pretty rustic compared to a present day cruise ship. I love how she talks about the people of Europe all needing to experience the arctic as a kind of removal of the veil that is blinding them. And then I think, Europe was marching toward WWII. And then I think about the current state of the world. Her journey sounds so hard and grueling, but somehow so appealing. And then I think - she left her daughter! Hold old was her daughter?
I wondered if I had missed the fact that she had a daughter in the text, but I've just glanced at the foreword of my edition (which I will read at the end) and seen that the daughter isn't mentioned in the book. This makes her journey to the Artic seem even more incomprehensible to me. (I'm glad she went though, otherwise we wouldn't have this book!)
Yes, it is surprising how little she mentions her daughter at all (there is some mention of her toward the end). I wonder if it reflects something about the time or social class she is in
Yes, I thought it was probably a class thing. I don’t think most people from the British upper (or upper middle) classes in the 1930s would have thought twice about leaving their children behind with relatives or nannies or at boarding school while they travelled for a year!
Lass alles liegen und stehen und Folge mir in die Arktis....it sounds like Christiane should join Hermann for a hike nearby....what an amazing journey lies ahead. I am reading the book in German, being Austrian myself and wanting to hear her voice. What strikes me right away is how she changes when talking about Nature, a quite different prose than the accounts of the daily life. I love the way she uses typically Austrian words to name the mountains and refers to the names of the bays. And Mikkl! What a touching beauty. I recently came across another snow fox playing an important role in the frozen river (account of a midwife in MA in the mid 19 century). But also, no mentioning of her daughter yet, she was 5 when she left. My mother heart is beating wildly. I had many discussions with my mum (born in 1929 like Karin) about the way parenting has changed. Food for thought and plenty of it.
It must be incredible to read it in the original language! The translation is good though I think. (And her daughter never gets a mention. I’m so curious as to why that is - it could of course mean that she just didn’t want to write about that aspect of her experience but it’s hard to imagine that it didn’t have a big impact.)
I gasped when I read this! Her being a mother shifts the story for me. The way her husband invites her and tells her to bring nothing is shocking to me, but feels even more intense knowing he is calling her away from her child. Also- why isn’t he asking her to bring butter and eggs? This calls to mind one of my favorite books “The Snow Leopard” where the author is trekking in the himalayas and recovering from the recent death of his wife. He feels the absence of his young son but needs this trip to recover. I highly recommend pairing these books for an advance course in wintering. So grateful to be seeing my own winter through the lens of the arctic.
I thought I was horrified by the hut, and then the stove came on the scene! Just thinking of being so reliant on something that sounds like it's actively trying to kill everyone frightens me.
I spent a week on Spitsbergen in early 2014, not long after the sun reappeared, and discovering Christiane Ritter’s memoir through this book club is such joy. I was there doing research on the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and staying in the archipelago’s only town, Longyearbyen (population 2,300), so I was quite comfortable, but I have strong visual memories that fit Ritter’s descriptions of the rocks and mountains and frozen waterfalls.
I am so loving this book. And do use Katherine’s link to the Lucy Jones article about Christiane Ritter. There are two wonderful photographs in it, the first of Hermann and Christiane stood their hut, and the second a picture of the hut on its own. Those two pictures simply brought the book even more alive for me. Can you see how the one of the two of them standing outside the hut has the doorway at the end of the building, and in the picture of the hut there is an extension past the doorway? This will be the room Hermann and Karl built for Christine. I can almost feel myself there as they were building it, and the excitement she must have felt as she saw it being put up.
The comfort I live in now suddenly feels so excessive and unnecessary. Her words convey some of the stark reality of how little we really do need, both in terms of material possessions and in pastimes to keep us occupied. Whilst recognising how horribly dependent I have become on comfort, this book makes me yearn for her experience. And what a different world we would live in if her words about her experience had been taken to heart.
I know exactly what you mean - and I keep thinking how the living room on my first house was 10 sq feet like hers!
I have so many questions about her relationship with her husband. Her writing is beautiful but I find my window into it all as confined as the special room the men build for her. Her journey into this male domain is as almost as remote as the landscape.
I am definitely wondering about the relationship ecosystem in that small hut! Karl is younger, too, I think, and I’m wondering how the basics of sleeping/dressing/and, um, “intimate moments” are unfolding in this small space among this unconventional household. Can’t quite tell if she thinks of Karl as a stand in for her child—she describes him as sort of a goofball—or as something else. I think the other thing that keeps coming to mind as I read is the spreading shadow of fascism in Europe. I’m a historian by trade so putting anything I read into context is a mental habit, but The way C talks about Europe and its quotidienne luxuries makes me wonder if she’s running from something more than just a well functioning stove. Opting out of modernity at a moment in which its attendant moral crisis is perhaps becoming most clear might be one way to feel “clean” in all that awfulness. Maybe a way of not collaborating or resisting but simply absenting oneself from the whole apparatus of politics.
Yes, and there’s actually some interesting information about that in next week’s letter!
I always want to know practical details about sleeping and washing and dressing in books too. I love details about 'setting up house' (it is my favourite thing to read!), but I always want to know details like how did they go to the toilet? In this book how did Christiane manage her period? Will she and Hermann have sex, and, if so, how will she avoid getting pregnant? What would happen if she had a baby in the Artic?!
Regarding the historical context of the book (1930s), your words 'Maybe a way of not collaborating or resisting but simply absenting oneself from the whole apparatus of politics' is a really interesting point.
I have just taken a moment to read comments from other readers and completely agree that this is a lovely book and how wonderful to be reading it during a cold spell in Atlanta, where snow is forecast for tomorrow. My husband and I went to Iceland in 2018 and many of her descriptions reminded me of that trip. I have wondered, however, about Christiane and Hermann's relationship. He left 3 years prior and now they are together again after such a long time apart, but Karl is there too! Has anyone else had the same thoughts?
Yes it’s a fascinating question!
Definitely. I found myself wondering about their relationship. She didnt even know until she arrived that Karl would be with them in a tiny hut for a year. I would be furious! I felt her husband was distant and intolerant. At one point he calls her “stupid”. -( in my edition pg 191. Maybe the translation?? ) And It sure didn’t seem Hermann is returning anytime soon either. No responsibility for the daughter?
Katherine, what a gift you have given us! My winter so far has been full of the Children of Green Knowe and now the wonderful Christiane Ritter thanks to you. Both are completely new to me and feel so perfect in this dark, cold and snowy time of year. I can’t wait for winter to descend on her. In the meantime, I’m loving the thought of a gorgeous arctic fox hanging around like a faithful dog!
agree! Same here!
It‘s been a joy re-reading this book, or these first chapters to be precise, after many years. The original German language, to me, is beautiful, serene and holding both the vastness and ruggedness of the landscape and the intricacies of details of this new daily life. I also find her language beautifully old-fashioned - but that might be because I am ignorant of her Viennese dialect (the Austrians here will tell me :)).
What I loved most about this first part:
- her unwrapping the farewell gifts from back home, which are all so touchingly thoughtful
- the unshakeable calmness and confidence of her husband grounded in acquired competence and experience and
- the way she can, slowly, begin to rest in, and likewise grow into, that very confidence.
Yes - those gifts! They reminded me of Tolly’s Christmas stocking in Children of Green Knowe. Everything so perfect and thoughtful.
Exactly! ☺️ The connection between sender and recipient seeping through the pages…
You can find it in the words relating to food, like comparing the mountains on Grohuk to "Kuchenberge" or "Gugelhupf" which very much describes their shape. When she bakes for the men, she makes "Semmeln" a type of roll we all grow up with. Also by the way they adres each other. Karl is a "Bub or Bursche" to her, a young lad. While the men adres her tenderly as "Fräulein" , a young girl - she was not quite that young, married and a mother. But certainly a "Fräulein" to these circumstances.
I was really excited to start reading Christane’s account of her time in the artic. I haven’t come across this book before. I love the way she describes the scenery, I feel myself transported there even if only a little because I don’t think you could ever comprehend the beauty and fierceness of the land and waters unless you see it first hand. I am with you on the stove though! I’m also jarred by the slaying of seals, foxes and eider’s and have found myself skimming over those graphic heart wrenching paragraphs! I am truly immersed in the book though!
I would love to see that scenery first hand!
I had never heard of this book before your newsletter, but WOW I'm riveted. It just propels me forward because it's all so beyond anything I'm familiar with and I'm so invested in her journey. It is so mindblowing that the author just picked up from her comfortable life to live for a year in the arctic, even with her husband. My heart when the ship sailed off like "see you in a year!" And then she finds out this third dude she's never met is living with them??? lol. Definitely need his help but I'd also be like WHAT? Whewwww. Yes, agree that it's so fascinating to see her describe her husband's transformation! And just the bravery and sense of adventure it would take to live in those elements: what are we eating? we don't know, we're going to hunt. Okay, we're eating seal for three meals a day for weeks. lol. But also there's definitely the longing to see the landscape and that kind of solitude for sure. The bath sounded so lovely and I was so happy for her in that moment and it made me want to make my baths more magical. Truly highlights the things we take for granted, and like your book Katherine, how do we make life more enchanted? Especially in these apocalyptic times. Omg the arctic fox! Stole my heart.
The place stays very strong in my mind and I can’t wait to read the rest of the book and all of your reactions. Hurray for book clubs that go after books that aren’t on the best-seller list! This one is a real find.
What a wonderful book to be reading in the cold, dark month of January. Few modern things excite me but I feel very grateful for my efficient, non-smoky stove! I was concerned about Christiane's stove too and had to read more about her. She lived a very long life, probably enhanced by the arctic year! Her gift for describing the natural world and the human condition is remarkable
I wish I could stop obsessing about the stove, but alas, no!
You're not alone there!
I can't put the book down, never heard of it until I joined, now nearly finished! And thank you Katherine for the link, seeing the photo and putting a face to Christiane seems to have made the text come to life even more. The stove reminds me of our old rayburn, chopping logs and doing battle even to get a flame to catch let alone bake bread of any kind! I particularly enjoyed the idea in these chapters of simplicity and pairing back to basics compared to the initial collection of items that Christiane felt she needed. Likewise even food and the human essentials needed to survive are paired back, this idea of absolute basics when she comments about Karl going to Cape Roos with no food and just a gun will suffice. What is it that any of us really need for existence? Certainly made me ponder what clutter and 'extras' I hoard! X
So glad you’ve discovered it! I think it’s incredible :)
Christiane Ritter’s leap into the Arctic wilderness is both awe-inspiring and humbling—her willingness to adapt to such an alien environment highlights a resilience many of us might struggle to find today (myself especially!). I was especially moved by your insight into Hermann’s transformation, how the wild tempered him with patience and serenity. It’s fascinating to consider how even the smallest comforts, like a bath, can feel like profound luxuries in such a stark setting. Thank you for guiding us into this journey!
I had never heard of this book, and I am finding it just amazing. I bought the audio book (which is rare for me, not sure why I felt drawn to it), and it is so submersive. I can't stop listening to it. In the beginning, I am struck by the contrast of her discovery of the landscape and the hut with the luxury of the ship that brought her North. And then I'm thinking, this was 1934. The luxury of that ship probably would feel pretty rustic compared to a present day cruise ship. I love how she talks about the people of Europe all needing to experience the arctic as a kind of removal of the veil that is blinding them. And then I think, Europe was marching toward WWII. And then I think about the current state of the world. Her journey sounds so hard and grueling, but somehow so appealing. And then I think - she left her daughter! Hold old was her daughter?
I love the idea that the Arctic was the real world and everything else was an illusion. I’d read her daughter was 13, but a comment above says 5!
I wondered if I had missed the fact that she had a daughter in the text, but I've just glanced at the foreword of my edition (which I will read at the end) and seen that the daughter isn't mentioned in the book. This makes her journey to the Artic seem even more incomprehensible to me. (I'm glad she went though, otherwise we wouldn't have this book!)
Yes, it is surprising how little she mentions her daughter at all (there is some mention of her toward the end). I wonder if it reflects something about the time or social class she is in
Yes, I thought it was probably a class thing. I don’t think most people from the British upper (or upper middle) classes in the 1930s would have thought twice about leaving their children behind with relatives or nannies or at boarding school while they travelled for a year!
Lass alles liegen und stehen und Folge mir in die Arktis....it sounds like Christiane should join Hermann for a hike nearby....what an amazing journey lies ahead. I am reading the book in German, being Austrian myself and wanting to hear her voice. What strikes me right away is how she changes when talking about Nature, a quite different prose than the accounts of the daily life. I love the way she uses typically Austrian words to name the mountains and refers to the names of the bays. And Mikkl! What a touching beauty. I recently came across another snow fox playing an important role in the frozen river (account of a midwife in MA in the mid 19 century). But also, no mentioning of her daughter yet, she was 5 when she left. My mother heart is beating wildly. I had many discussions with my mum (born in 1929 like Karin) about the way parenting has changed. Food for thought and plenty of it.
It must be incredible to read it in the original language! The translation is good though I think. (And her daughter never gets a mention. I’m so curious as to why that is - it could of course mean that she just didn’t want to write about that aspect of her experience but it’s hard to imagine that it didn’t have a big impact.)
I gasped when I read this! Her being a mother shifts the story for me. The way her husband invites her and tells her to bring nothing is shocking to me, but feels even more intense knowing he is calling her away from her child. Also- why isn’t he asking her to bring butter and eggs? This calls to mind one of my favorite books “The Snow Leopard” where the author is trekking in the himalayas and recovering from the recent death of his wife. He feels the absence of his young son but needs this trip to recover. I highly recommend pairing these books for an advance course in wintering. So grateful to be seeing my own winter through the lens of the arctic.
I thought I was horrified by the hut, and then the stove came on the scene! Just thinking of being so reliant on something that sounds like it's actively trying to kill everyone frightens me.
I’m with you on this - the men’s nonchalant attitude toward the functionality of the stove is surprising when it’s 100% essential to their survival!