Overview
From an early age, it was clear that George Forster possessed a brilliant mind. At just ten years old, he became a botanist when he accompanied his irascible father Reinhold on an expedition to Russia. They travelled from the plains of West Prussia, to the wild shores of the Volga, to St. Petersburg, and then to London where the young boy soon became the breadwinner by publishing translations of hugely popular exploration accounts. In 1772, at the age of seventeen, George Forster joined Cook’s second voyage, the most daring voyage of the time.
The HMS Resolution set sail with orders to find the hypothetical southern continent of Antarctica. On her voyage to the Antarctic Circle and the islands of the South Pacific—including New Zealand, Vanuatu, Tonga, Tahiti, and Easter Island—the Resolution carried the ambitions of the most powerful empire in the world. But George Forster brought an understanding that was centuries ahead of the attitudes of his day—his ideas belonged to the future. A remarkable observer, linguist, artist, and writer, he studied the diverse cultures of the world without prejudice and sought to uncover our common humanity. He was a traveler in body and mind—not bound by place, people, or establishment.
Recognized upon his return as one of Europe’s brightest minds, Forster held positions across the Continent and regaled the world not only with tales from his travels but also radical ideas about human nature. He used his fame to advocate for freedom and human rights, and wrote against empire, white supremacy, and slavery. He admired strong and educated women, accepting his wife’s affairs and independence. Pulled into the vortex of the French Revolution, he became a revolutionary and was declared an outlaw in Germany, living in exile in Paris during the Reign of Terror. Andrea Wulf’s The Traveler recounts an extraordinary life largely forgotten by history, the tale of a man who broke with convention and was unafraid to critique the world around him in dedication to his belief in the human right to dignity, equality, and freedom. At its heart is the story of Forster’s quest to find what connects us rather than what sets us apart.
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