Touching the Void

Simpson, Joe

ISBN 10 : 0435017055 ISBN 13 : 9780435017057

Editeur : Heinemann, 2009

Synopsis

Touching the Void is a heart-stopping, true account of Joe Simpson's terrifying adventure in the Peruvian Andes. He and his climbing partner, Simon, reached the summit of the remote peak, Siula Grande. A few days later, Simon staggered into base camp, exhausted and frost-bitten, with news that Joe was dead. What really happened to Joe makes not only an epic of survival but a compelling testament of friendship.

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

"A truly astounding account of suffering and fortitude."
-- The Times (London)

Joe Simpson and his climbing partner, Simon Yates, had just reached the top of a 21,000-foot peak in the Andes when disaster struck. Simpson plunged off the vertical face of an ice ledge, breaking his leg. In the hours that followed, darkness fell and a blizzard raged as Yates tried to lower his friend to safety. Finally, Yates was forced to cut the rope, moments before he would have been pulled to his own death.

The next three days were an impossibly grueling ordeal for both men. Yates, certain that Simpson was dead, returned to base camp consumed with grief and guilt over abandoning him. Miraculously, Simpson had survived the fall but, crippled, starving, and severely frostbitten, was trapped in a deep crevasse. Summoning vast reserves of physical and spiritual strength, Simpson hopped, hobbled, and crawled over the cliffs and canyons of the Andes, reaching the base hours before Yates had planned to break camp.

How both men overcame the torments of those harrowing days is an epic tale of fear, suffering, and survival; a poignant testament to unshakable courage and friendship.

"Told with lyrical quality and stunning immediacy, Touching the Void transcends its genre and becomes accessible to readers who have never had any desire to climb a glacier."
-- New York Newsday

"A gripping narrative that should excite armchair adventurers everywhere."
--Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Simpson touches a nerve of the mountaineering community and the hearts of others."
--Los Angeles Times

"Riveting, even compulsive reading."
--Minneapolis Star Tribune

Revue de presse

"A brilliant, vivid, gripping, heart-stopping account of their terrifying adventure... Superbly written" (Sunday Express)

"On every level it is an outstanding literary achievement" (Independent)

"A quite extraordinary and moving book... Touching the Void touches the Great Questions in an understated yet utterly compelling way" (Guardian)

"A truly astonishing account of suffering and fortitude...the narrative acquires an irresistible force, carrying all before it" (Sunday Times)

"One of the great stories of survival eloquently described" (Philip French Observer)

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Heinemann
• Date d'édition: 2009
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0435017055
• ISBN 13: 9780435017057
• Reliure: Reliure inconnue
• Numéro d'édition: 1
• Nombre de pages: 248
• Coordonnées du fabricant: Pearson Longman; riccardo.bacigalupo@sanoma.it; ; Sanoma Italia \n Via Arconati, 1 ?; Milano; 20135; Italie