Divine Baker

Lady Baker And The Source Of The Nile

Sarah Harkness | The Macmillans’ Crusade | 19th October 2024 | U

Samuel Baker’s 1866 tale of the search for the Nile’s source was an instant hit with the Victorian public. His book outshone rival titles in part due to his wife, Florence, whom he had bought in a Bulgarian slave auction. Florence braved the perilous journey through Africa with grit: she was fluent in Arabic and handy with guns. Back in England, she became the toast of the Royal Geographic Society (2,100 words)

The Divine Discontent

Celine Nguyen | Personal Canon | 27th October 2024 | U

“The most fulfilled people tend to have two traits. They’re insatiably curious. And they seem to exist in a state of perpetual, self-inflicted unhappiness. These people have a project they’re working on. An essay. Testing out a recipe. Improving their Cantonese. If you take this dissatisfaction at face value, it may seem as if the project is the problem. But it’s this restless pursuit of greatness that makes things interesting” (4,800 words)