Tim Severin

Timothy " Tim " Severin ( born 1940 in Assam, India), is a British adventurer, historian and writer. He is known particularly for his travels in the footsteps of historical figures. Severin was awarded both the Gold Medal of the Royal Geographical Society and the Livingstone Medal of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. For his book The Sinbad Voyage, he received the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award.

Life

Born in India in 1940 Severin studied geography and history at Keble College, Oxford. During his studies, he tried in 1960 with Stanley Johnson and Michael de Larrabeiti to trace the journey of Marco Polo by motorcycle. However, the attempt failed due to visa problems on the Chinese border.

Then again Severin undertook a number of trips and travel, to check legends on their factual correctness. Example, to track the legend of Sinbad 1980 he built a traditional Arabian sailing ship whose sails he sewed with coconut twine, and sailed from Oman to China. The trip, which was funded by the Sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin Said, he described in the book The Voyage of Sinbad. In the book The Brendan Voyage, he describes details of his research on the journey of an Irish monk who should have sailed in a leather Curragh from Ireland to Newfoundland (see also Navigatio Sancti Brendani ).

Besides books about his travels Severin also has historical novels, such as the novel series began in 2005, Viking Series written.

Works (selection)

  • Tracking Marco Polo ( 1964)
  • The Golden Antilles ( 1970)
  • The African Adventure ( 1973)
  • The Oriental Adventure: Explorers of the East (1976 ) - on European explorers in Asia
  • The Brendan Voyage ( 1978) - sailing trip in a Curragh from Ireland to Newfoundland
  • The Sinbad Voyage ( 1983) - sailing trip in an Arab dhow from Oman to China
  • The Jason Voyage: The Quest for the Golden Fleece (1986 ) - sailing trip from Greece to Georgia
  • The Ulysses Voyage ( 1987) - sailing trip from Troy to Ithaca
  • Crusader (1989 ) - a ride from France to the Middle East
  • In Search of Genghis Khan (1991 ) - In the Footsteps of Genghis Khan
  • The China Voyage ( 1994) - About the Pacific in a bamboo boat
  • In Search of Moby-Dick (1999) - In Search of Moby Dick
  • In Search of Robinson Crusoe (2002) - In Search of Robinson Crusoe
Sinbad the Sailor Integrated Authority File
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