The Book Club: the crew who braved an Antarctic winter

May 26, 2021, 02:52 PM

Sam Leith's guest in this week’s Book Club podcast is Julian Sancton, whose new book Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica's Journey Into the Dark Antarctic Night, documents the crew of men who were the first to experience an Antarctic winter trapped in the ice, in an attempt to reach the South Pole. Sancton speaks about the background of some of the eccentric characters that made up the Belgica - and the stomach turning cuisine that is penguin meat.