A Woman in the Polar Night

An extraordinary autobiographical account of the year that Ritter, an artist, spent living in a rundown hut on the shores of an Arctic fjord on the island of Spitsbergen in the 1930s -- Robert Macfarlane, Favourite Seasonal Books * Observer *
If you find yourself sweltering by a pool this summer, forget dipping in the water to cool off. Instead, dive into this captivating memoir... Like all the best travel writers, Ritter transports readers to the otherworldly landscape she encounters... The "unimaginable world of splendour and beauty" she describes is enough to make you want to say goodbye to sun loungers in Saint-Tropez, in favour of eking out an existence in a frozen shack in Svalbard * Independent, Best Summer Books *
An epic story, elegantly told and full of mystery. Even though I could never hope to match her bravery and aplomb, Ritter made me long to decamp at once for the harshest and wildest corners of the earth -- Maggie Shipstead, author of Great Circle
Conjures the rasp of the ski runner, the scent of burning blubber and the rippling iridescence of the Northern Lights * Sara Wheeler, author of 'Terra Incognita: Travels in Antarctica' *
Astonishing, haunting... as much an exploration of the human psyche as it is a journey into one of the bleakest, most challenging and magical environments on earth * Isabella Tree, author of Wilding: The Return to Nature of a British Farm *
Extraordinary... It's a radical, feminist text that speaks to the disconnection from the rest of nature we are experiencing at unprecedented levels today. It's hard to believe it was written over 80 years ago -- Lucy Jones * Independent *
Unusual, thoughtful, this has beauty in the simple expression of immense interior experience * Kirkus Reviews *
One of those special, classic memoirs... long praised by generations of readers... A delicate masterpiece * Literary Hub *
Spectacular... Extraordinary... A deeply affecting book, a memoir so erudite and so wise it's a mystery why it's been out of print in English for half a century * New European Review *
An evocative account of a year spent in a tiny hut, eating frozen seal meat, facing blizzards and celebrating New Year's Eve with raspberry juice and surgical spirit. Above all, it chronicles Christiane's growing love for the austere beauty of her surroundings * Daily Mail *
Should you be the sort of person who likes to match their reading to the weather, or current Sunday night telly, you couldn't do better than this... The details of life there, then are fascinating and she's a wonderful nature writer too. It's deeply cosy all round * Alexandra Heminsley, author of Running Like a Girl *
A book for anyone who loves sublime landscapes and prose... Ritter manages to articulate all the terrible beauty and elemental power of a polar winter * Gavin Francis, author of 'Empire Antarctica' *
Ritter describes an astonishing land of giant icebergs, gleaming pack ice, powerful storms, shining mountains [and] writes absorbingly about humans' utter subjugation to the elements in this otherworldly place -- Deb Olin Unferth * The Atlantic *
If I only read one book each winter it would be this small slim volume. It's an extraordinary true fable that sings the songs of the old Arctic and leaves your heart ringing with cold, wild delight * Geographical *
A beautiful account of one woman's decision to spend a year living in the Arctic wilderness * Woman and Home *
[Christiane Ritter] walked right up to and past her own physical, psychological and emotional edges, and recounted it all in absolutely gorgeous and meditative prose. I can reread each sentence a dozen times * All the Feminist Books *
Beautiful... a fresh and joyous account of a woman wintering over in the Arctic * The Riverside Bookshop (blog) *
I know a lot of people who'd pack their bags to live in the Arctic after reading this. It is that powerful. This classic travel memoir is still so much alive and connects with readers like no other. A must-read! * Elif the Reader *
Like all the best travel writers, Ritter transports readers to the otherworldly landscape she encounters... The "unimaginable world of splendour and beauty" she describes is enough to make you want to say goodbye to sun loungers in Saint-Tropez, in favour of eking out an existence in a frozen shack in Svalbard * Independent 'the books we’re packing for summer 2025 holidays' *