Best of the Spectator

The Book Club: one man's failed attempt to climb Everest


Listen Later

In this week's Book Club podcast, Sam Leith's guest is the journalist Ed Caesar, whose new book The Moth and the Mountain tells the story of a now forgotten solo assault on Everest that ended in disaster. But as Ed argues, the heroic failure can be a richer and more resonant story than any triumph -- and as he painstakingly excavated the story of Maurice Wilson, it was just such a rich and resonant story he discovered: of a character who became fixated on the mountain as a means of redeeming wartime trauma and a chequered and at times disgraceful romantic history, of getting his own back on hated authority figures, and -- just possibly -- of finding a safe space for his darkest secret of all.
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Best of the SpectatorBy The Spectator

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

2 ratings


More shows like Best of the Spectator

View all
The spiked podcast by The spiked podcast

The spiked podcast

202 Listeners

Coffee House Shots by The Spectator

Coffee House Shots

181 Listeners

Americano by The Spectator

Americano

261 Listeners

The Brendan O'Neill Show by The Brendan O'Neill Show

The Brendan O'Neill Show

356 Listeners

The Edition by The Spectator

The Edition

52 Listeners

Last Orders - a spiked podcast by Last Orders - a spiked podcast

Last Orders - a spiked podcast

53 Listeners

The Daily T by The Telegraph

The Daily T

90 Listeners

The Story by The Times

The Story

255 Listeners

Planet Normal by The Telegraph

Planet Normal

186 Listeners

Chinese Whispers by The Spectator

Chinese Whispers

147 Listeners

The Rest Is History by Goalhanger

The Rest Is History

12,649 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics

3,128 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics: Leading by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics: Leading

993 Listeners

Fire at Will by The Spectator Australia

Fire at Will

21 Listeners

Past Present Future by David Runciman

Past Present Future

320 Listeners