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Running with Pirates

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( 84 ratings, 10 reviews)
Brief Description
A warm and engaging memoir about freedom, adventure, and fathers and sons, set against the sumptuous backdrop of Corfu. At the age of eighteen, Kári Gíslason arrives on the island of Corfu after a life-altering encounter with his father in Iceland. Looking for adventure, he decides... Read More
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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A warm and engaging memoir about freedom, adventure, and fathers and sons, set against the sumptuous backdrop of Corfu.

At the age of eighteen, Kári Gíslason arrives on the island of Corfu after a life-altering encounter with his father in Iceland. Looking for adventure, he decides to stay after meeting 'the Pirate', a mysterious Greek stranger who offers him work - only to find himself eventually fleeing the island, leaving behind a debt he promises to repay.

Three decades later, as a father of two teenage sons, he returns to Corfu with his family. As he revisits his memories of the island, he begins to understand that this place has shaped the adult he has become, and that the inevitable letting go of his own children lies ahead.

Full of the colour and vitality of the Greek islands, Running with Pirates traverses the joys and challenges of parenthood, the fearlessness of youth, the debts of our past, and the stories we tell ourselves and our children.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780702268700

Publisher: University of Queensland Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 30 July 2024

Country: Australia

Imprint: University of Queensland Press

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 19.0mm

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 227.0mm

Weight: 297g

Pages: 240

About the Author

Kari Gislason is a writer and academic who teaches creative writing and literary studies at QUT. He is the author of The Promise of Iceland (UQP, 2011), which told the story of return journeys he's made to his birthplace, and the novels The Ash Burner (UQP, 2015) and The Sorrow Stone (UQP, 2022). He is also the co-author, with Richard Fidler, of Saga Land (HarperCollins, 2017), and has written works of travel journalism, essays, reviews and radio scripts.

Also by Kári Gíslason

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  • Saga Land
    'I adored this book - a wondrous compendium of Iceland's best sagas' - Hannah Kent A new friendship. An unforgettable journey. A beautiful and bloody history. This is Iceland as you've never read it before ... Broadcaster Richard Fidler and author Kári Gíslason are good friends. They share a deep attachment to the sagas of Iceland - the true stories...
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  • The Sorrow Stone
    An epic and compelling novel that reimagines the fate of one of Iceland's famous women of history. UQP is offering a money-back guarantee that The Sorrow Stone is a great read—see inside the back cover for details. After committing an audacious act of revenge for her brother's murder, Disa flees with her son through the fjords of Iceland. She has...
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    Growing up with his father in a small coastal town, all Ted knows about his mother is that she died when he was a boy. His father has brought them halfway across the world to start anew, but her absence defines and haunts their lives. When Ted meets Anthony and Claire, an intense friendship begins, carrying them to Sydney and...
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  • The Promise of Iceland
    Born from a secret liaison between a British mother and an Icelandic father, Kári Gíslason was the subject of a promise—a promise elicited from his father to not reveal his identity. The Icelandic city of Reykjavik, where Kári was born, was also home to his father, his father's wife, and their four children—none of whom knew of Kári's existence. Moving...
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