Stephen R. Bown Shortlisted for the RBC Taylor Prize

Stephen R. Bown Shortlisted for the RBC Taylor Prize

Congratulations to Stephen R. Bown, whose latest book, Island of the Blue Foxes: Disaster and Triumph on Bering’s Great Voyage to Alaska, is one of the five titles shortlisted for the 2018 RBC Taylor Prize.

Island of the Blue Foxes tells the story of the Great Northern Expedition, an epic tale of shipwreck and survival from the Age of Sail. Lasting nearly ten years and spanning three continents, and despite its vast geographical, cartographical and natural history accomplishments, the voyage was plagued by ill fortune--a supply ship failed to arrive, officers quarrelled and the ships were separated in a storm. While the St. Paul reached Alaska and reported back to Russia, Bering's ship, the St. Peter, was wrecked on a desolate island in the Aleutian Chain inhabited by feral foxes. Island of the Blue Foxes is an incredible true-life adventure story, a story of personal and cultural animosities, unimaginable Gothic horrors and ingenuity in the face of adversity.

The RBC Taylor Prize acknowledges excellence in Canadian literary non-fiction annually. The winner will be honoured at the awards gala in downtown Toronto on February 26.