The Death Ship (Paperback, New Ed)

It's a question whether to list this under fiction or non-fiction. It purports to be the "story of an American sailor". It was published in Germany, and sold over 250,000 copies; in Russia and sold over a million; in ten other countries, and heralded everywhere with an enthusiastic press. Tomlinson, David Bone, and others versed in sea stories, have praised it highly. And yet - one questions its probable history here. It is a macabre nightmare - a sea story to end sea stories, definitely not for the audience that rejoiced in MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY, SEA WITCH, and so on. There is a certain crude power, but it doesn't quite convince. It's the story of an American sailor who misses his ship in Antwerp, and - lacking proper papers - is shunted from country to country. On the Mediterranean, the wanderer ships on a renegade gun running tramp, manned with a vile crew, among whom his one companion is a Polish fireman. Scenes in the stoke-hold suggest movie horrors, though the dialogue of the sailors is toned down considerably, - and unconvincingly. The Faulkner-Caldwell technique applied to the sea. The last half is better than the first - the men are shanghaied as crew for a "Death Ship" which is wrecked, and the men escape on a raft, only to face madness and probably death. E. S. McCawley in reporting his reaction to this book writes: "Personally I hated it. I don't mind reading about life in the raw, but this effort left me unconvinced. But I have a feeling the book is going to have a loud claque and hence may be listed as important. It has a certain power - but I have no feeling that the author knows much about the sea or has any love for it. 'So what - !'" (Kirkus Reviews)

The Death Ship tells the story of an American sailor, stateless and penniless because he has lost his passport, who is harassed by police and hounded across Europe until he finds an 'illegal' job shoveling coal in the hold of a steamer bound for destruction.

The Death Ship is the first of B. Traven's politically charged novels about life among the downtrodden, which have sold more than thirty million copies in thirty-six languages. Next to The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, it is his most celebrated work

General

Imprint:	A Cappella Books
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	February 2023
First published:	September 1991
Authors:	B Traven
Dimensions:	217 x 143 x 20mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	384
Edition:	New Ed
ISBN-13:	978-1-55652-110-2
Categories:	Books > Fiction > General
LSN:	1-55652-110-3
Barcode:	9781556521102

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