The loneliness of the mariner, and writing

Long stretches at sea, homesickness compel mariners to become able writers

By Ryan Skinner (email)

It was at a dinner recently where I met Raj Chakravorty, author of the limpid "Electronic Charts" blog, that I stumbled across a minor epiphany. It suddenly struck me, thanks to Raj's poetic delivery, that the reason so many shipping people wrote so well was the loneliness they'd experienced as officers at sea.

Raj told me in melancholy terms of his long stints at sea and how much he missed his family. In his homesickness, he would gaze out of the porthole and seize his pen more out of necessity than desire. And suddenly he became a writer.

Now I know why there are so many capable writers among ex-mariners. You don't find this in other industries. Not in aviation. How many pilots can write well? Not in finance. Those guys are typically crap writers. Shipping creates moving penmen.

The loneliness of life at sea, and feeling of missing one's family, inspired many a nascent writing career. Take Joseph Conrad....

Comments

[Ian]

In addition to Conrad, American giants like Herman Melville and Eugene O'Neill must be mentioned in any discussion about the influence of maritime life on writing. I think isolation at sea helps explain a lot in O'Neill's plays, in particular.

[Ken E. Beck]

I was web surfing yesterday which led to me watching Gore Vidal and Buckley on You Tube. Vidal doesn't flinch which Buckley threatens violence. My take is that is due to Vidal's time as Chief Mate on a FS in the Aleutians. He wrote a book based on his experience, Williwaw

[Velu]

And wasn't Louis Lamour a sailor as well? thats what it says on the back of his books atleast!

Cheers,
Velu