The Anatomist's Tale: Being the Confessions of an Unwilling Pirate, Marooned for a Time Upon the Shores of New Madagascar
Born into abject poverty in the British Empire, our narrator aspires to a better life as a ship's surgeon--until a tyrannical captain provokes a mutiny, forcing him into a life of piracy and eventually to a tropical commune of maroons called New Madagascar.
Told through a series of confessions to those who visit the narrator during his imprisonment at Marshalsea, The Anatomist's Tale relates one man's brush with the heady freedom of outlaws--and the price of returning to "civilization."
Earn by promoting books
Earn money by sharing your favorite books through our Affiliate program.
Become an affiliate"Tauno Biltsted's The Anatomist's Tale is a marvel of knowingness and concision: a tale of piracy on the high seas which steers clear of melodrama (though there's plenty of drama), and opts instead for a rich and surprising account of the society of pirates, and the ocean deserts and island paradises in which they lived. This short book contains a vast world."--Paul La Farge, author of The Night Ocean
"This is a sad story of exile from the English homeland and a salty tale of piracy in the Caribbean, which leads to further adventures on four of the Seven Seas and the discovery of a curious self-governing utopia among Kru, Maya, Irish, Welsh, and scouser maroons in Central America. With all the authenticity of the social historian, Biltsted writes in a swift, beautiful style. These 'confessions' lead to an inevitable destination, leaving the reader pensive, satisfied, and ever willing to lend a hand, hoist a sail, and set out anew." --Peter Linebaugh, author of Red Round Globe Hot Burning