An evocation of life at sea in the 18th century which also offers comment on the nature of story-telling and the making of a myth. Translated from the Swedish by Tom Geddes.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
The famed one-legged pirate Long John Silver has been one of the most fascinating characters in all of English literature, and now his "autobiography" is available. Larsson, himself a Swedish sailer with a taste for eighteenth-century pirate lore, has fashioned a rugged but interesting life outside of the tales of Treasure Island and given new life to Silver. His personality is charismatic indeed, as he relates much of his story to real-life author Daniel Defoe, on the condition that the Robinson Crusoe writer never reveal Silver's story. In addition, the fierce pirate eschews a life as a popular ship's captain, but serves as quartermaster because of his affinity for the crew, and he still occasionally shoots off his mouth and gets himself keelhauled and sold as a slave. Translator Geddes fills Silver's story with rich seaman's language. The action is exciting, but occasionally the work bogs down as Silver philosophizes about good and evil. Overall, Larsson nails the buccaneer's personality. Joe Collins
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
From Kirkus Reviews
Swedish writer Larssons first US publication, a retelling of the life of the pirate Silver, is a mild confection, perhaps sweetest for fans of Treasure Island who can rely on that classic to provide the motive to keep turning these many pages. Comfortably retired on Madagascar in 1742, Silver is nettled that all the literature written about his life has got it wrong. Amid his plundered riches and house staff, he opens his recollections during his youth back in Scotland, where hes raised a motherless son by a drunken father. Having learned the knack of plucky self-reliance, he takes to the sea, is shipwrecked, and later is rescued by Dunn, a charitable soul of baffling kindness. Silver falls in love with Eliza, Dunns daughter, but after he witnesses a murder, the three are forced to flee England. Dunn and Eliza dont make it out, but Dunns son, the impish, cowardly Deval, clings to Silver like a barnacle. The bulk of the story tells of Silvers adventures at sea. He sails first with Edward England, whose spirit is ultimately snapped by the cruelty of the buccaneers life; and later with a slave ship, among whose cargo he inspires a rebellion against the vicious Captain Butterworth and his ruthless aide, Scudamore. Sold into slavery himself in St. Thomas, Silver escapes and ultimately joins up with Captain Flint. With Flint, Silver loses his leg when the cowardly Deval shoots him from behind as the pirates board a ship. Silver exacts his revenge by having Devals leg sawed off and roasted over an open flamethus, Silvers nickname, Barbecue. The action scenes in these passages are what make the book, since Silvers meditations on slavery, independence, honor, and human rights are something less than stirring. Few of Stevensons Treasure Island readers, indeed, have been terribly gripped by Silvers inner life. Still, the genial old salt is harmless enough and capable of telling a fair and bloody old memory more often than not. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Fun!,
By A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Long John Silver (Panther) (Paperback)
One of the most recognizable characters in English literature gets his own fictional autobiography in this sweeping historical tour-de-force by a Swedish sailor, of all people. For many, LJS is the most memorable and deep character in the classic adventure tale Treasure Island. In this book he recounts his life both before and after the events in Stevenson's tale. His first-person story unfolds in chronological chapters which alternate with chapters in which he tells of his dealings with that chronicler of pirates, Daniel Defoe, and later, Jim Hawkins. Many of these chapters are written directly to the two libelers, and include rambling meditations on the nature of freedom and meaning of life.The accounts of his life adventures are rich in language and detail. It's a stunning achievement by translator Geddes, given all the nautical and period slang, and one would never know the book wasn't written in English. Readers who know nothing about boats and seamanship (like myself) will have no problems following the action and appreciating the details. Larsson has apparently researched the social history of pirates and seafaring in great detail, as the book delivers a detailed and spirited defense of those who went to sea under the black flag. Great attention is given to the awful conditions of the average sailor on a merchantman, and the evils of slave ships are examined at length and in graphic detail. Through Silver, Larsson portrays the buccaneers of the era as freedom-seekers and hedonists, living for the moment. Their crimes are shown as no greater than that of the merchants who plunder distant lands and enslave people. This unvarnished "truth" is brought out in vivid storytelling as the old pirate, now living in Madagascar, puts pen to paper. It has to be said that while the chapters describing Silver's life and (mis)adventures are wonderful, the shorter chapters where he rambles on about good/evil, etc. can get repetitive and tiresome. Still, the book is great fun and well worth reading for its take on pirate life. Fans of the original Treasure Island may also be interested in Justin Scott's fun 1994 version, which transplants the action to 1950s Long Island.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Silver as He Wanted to be Remembered....and then some,
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This review is from: Long John Silver (Panther) (Paperback)
The plot device of having LJS dictate the story to Defoe (who wrote a real history of pirates under the pseud. of Captain Johnson) is a stroke of genius, especially when the rascal meditates outside of his dictation for the devious and devilish stuff that the moral Defoe would not understand. Long John remains one of the most colorful, and inscrutable, characters of all pirate lore. Larsson's knack for bringing him to life apart from the innocent viewpoint of Jim Hawkins, shows the readers of Treasure Island just how LJS developed his ruthlessness, tinged with his own skewed sense of chivalry and style. The fact that Silver is quite well-read, and articulate lends authenticity to the stories of actual pirates with whom the fictional Silver might have sailed. I didn't find the intermittent philosophizing too off-putting. Silver was always trying to rationalize his often brutish actions in Treasure Island, so he does here as well. While enjoying a rollicking good "alternate history" of 18th century "gentlemen of fortune", I learned quite a bit about the harshness of sailor life of that period, and also about slave ships and their horrible ordeal
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Everybody see the world with different eyes,
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This review is from: Long John Silver (Panther) (Paperback)
The story of LJS is "great" if you can say that word to a life who always was outside the law, of course for him he was doing right and he was making justice among the seven seas.This story will show you how the pirates thought and how they work to make their dreams come true (if the have any dream as LJS said more than once). Is a good book to read except the last two or three chapters, but is a book that worth every word it has.
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