AN EVENING WITH RANULPH FIENNES

Ranulph Fiennes leads expeditions for a living. In this recording he relates astonishing tales of his adventures to a theater audience. He describes his business cycle, which starts with “scrounging for sponsorship,” and says his “boss” is his literary agent because each expedition needs to be able to produce promotion worth more than the sponsorship. Fiennes begins with the idea that he will travel only to hot places, so he hovercrafts 4,000 miles up the Nile River. Later, turning to the opposite extreme, Fiennes leads the first polar circumnavigation of the Earth and the first unsupported crossing of the Antarctic continent. Fiennes’s storytelling style is laconic and hilarious. This wonderful production is a cross between comedy and amazing tales of endurance. A.B. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 05]