The Icelandic Canadian - 01.08.2009, Blaðsíða 51

Vol. 62 #3
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
141
introduction to the Arctic and his initial
acclimatization to Inuit life. Like a true
anthropologist, he does not judge the
Arctic culture and habits by the standards
of southern peoples, but accepts and adapts
with true appreciation for the northern
way of life. For this he was criticized by
fellow " Christians" who saw only through
the lens of their background and belief.
In the subsequent expedition, which
was troubled by Stefansson's ill prepara-
tion, but even more by the arrogant ill-will
of some colleagues, the euro-centric atti-
tudes (and perhaps intellectual snobbery)
of his government backers and of the scien-
tific members left Stefansson and a small
circle of companions isolated and virtually
the objects of mutiny.
This book, while a narrative of events,
is even more a character study, portraying
Stefansson sympathetically in spite of his
failings, which were certainly in evidence.
The impression is one of balance, a quality
that has been sorely needed in connection
with the Stefansson story.
I confess to being uncomfortable when
Henigan labels Stefansson a ‘charlatan,’
even when he then goes on to lump a num-
ber of famous and accomplished people in
this category. While I do not dispute the
author’s dictionary definition of the word,
I don’t think it accords with common
everyday usage, which we might equate
with ‘con artist.’ Stefansson did, however,
have a reach that exceeded his grasp, as his
enthusiasm went beyond his ability to
organize or to motivate. What he did seem
to have is a quality I would refer to as
‘charisma,’ which appears to have been the
key to his publicity. I would characterize
his drive to over-reach as false optimism,
misleading without any intent to do so.
Such a charismatic person would only
be a ‘charlatan’ if he had done nothing to
speak about. Stefansson’s long sojourn in
the Arctic, his genuine discoveries, in my
opinion, takes him out of that category.
A chief accomplishment of this book is
to distinguish between the explorer, the
discoverer, on the one hand; and the
researcher, the documenter, on the other.
Stefansson was the former; cast somewhat
in the mold of the previous century, while
his companions, many of whom vilified
him, were the latter. Small wonder they
could not see eye-to-eye. Stefansson was
perhaps the last of a dying breed of bold
adventurous explorers.
Considerable space is spent on ‘Stef’s”
romantic relationships, which further
reveals the richness and complexity of this
character. The women in his life, from
Fannie Panigabluk to Fannie Hurst to his
wife Evelyn, appear to have been strong
people, perhaps drawn to the adventure-
some boy who seems to have been hidden
within Stefansson’s character.
It is interesting that Stefansson,
through his involvements with groups
such as the Explorers’ Club, sought to mit-
igate barriers of sex and of race as much as
one could have dared in the times. His
egalitarian tendencies caused much trouble
with the McCarthyists, the impact of
which we may never fully realize.
In summary, this book exposes the
man, not the myth, and does not attempt to
defend the indefensible aspects of
Stefansson’s career. It does, however,
defend the man against the most unreason-
able charges made against him, showing
them to be the result of human failings, not
arrogance. -