Maritime great who sank without trace

Article Abstract:

William Dampier remains virtually unknown despite being the first British maritime explorer to undertake his work in a spirit of systematic enquiry. Dampier, who was born in Somerset, England, in 1651, was an accomplished navigator, hydrographer and naturalist whose best-selling books inspired Swift and Defoe. He came within 100 miles of discovering Australia but his dislike of cold waters led him to turn north. However Dampier was also a pirate whose command of expeditions after 1702 appears to have been cowardly and incompetent. Dampier died in obscurity in London, England in 1715.

Biography, Explorers, Dampier, William

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Life's sentences

Article Abstract:

A historian recounts his use of oral history when researching material for a book about the postwar lives of survivors of Nazi concentration camps. The process of tracking down and gaining the confidence of former concentration camp prisoners in order to interview them about their postliberation experiences is described. The 350 or so hours of interview collected over a three-year period are now housed in the Oral History department of the British Library in Kensington, London, England, and form the basis of the book 'The Journey Back from Hell.'

Usage, Personal narratives, Oral history, Historical research

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Life lines, death sentences

Article Abstract:

It is impossible to measure the effect dissenting literature had on the dismantling of the apartheid system in South Africa. However, the dissenting word did play an important role. By its own nature, literature has a dissenting effect on society. During the liberation of South Africa, there was a move towards 'poetry of statement' where the imagination is less important.

Social aspects, South Africa, Transcript, Apartheid, Alternative literature

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