The Master Mariner

The Master Mariner stories were written by Nicholas Monsarrat to illustrate the role of seamen throughout the ages. His title character, an Elizabethan sailor called Matthew Lawe, is cursed to wander the seas "until all the seas run dry" and finds himself drawn into events throughout history by the driving nature of the curse.

Originally conceived as a series of books, only the first "Running Proud" was completed and published. The author's death at the age of 69 prevented the second book from being completed. However his unfinished manuscript and author's notes, with the ending, were gathered and published under the name "Darken Ship"

What makes the books unique is that each chapter is written in the style of the time period it covers: the Elizabethan period uses plain spoken text, the section for Charles II is written in the style of Samuel Pepys and so on. From The Armada to the Spanish Main and on to Trafalgar, Matthew Lawe is drawn back to the sea over and over again, the only place he is truly at home as time and years change the world on land from what he knows into something unrecognisable.

Matthew Lawe's curse is often compared to the Wandering Jew, or the Flying Dutchman. Unlike both of these he does still slowly age, and is often given chances to break the curse and find peace. However his real tragedy is that he is a constant prisoner of his own nature, and unable to overcome his fear enough to take these opportunities.

The curse has its origin in a literary conceit. Monsarrat wanted to tell the story of four hundred years of naval history, but was not sure of the framing narrative for the novels. He considered using a family, but as he said in "Darken ship" that would involve "too many fictionalised triumphs and tragedies".

Superbly written, the books often find their place on Top Five or Top Ten literary lists, simply because of their unique story, beautiful detail and the gripping writing. In addition, Monsarrat's excellent research means that they provide an insight into the conditions of the Navy and seafarers in the past.

However these books are quite blunt about the cultural mores and practices of more barbaric periods in history and so are definitely meant for an adult audience.

Matthew Lawe's spectacular act of cowardice, costing the lives of his shipmates, leads to a curse being pronounced upon him, forcing him to wander the seas "Until all the seas run dry". Trapped by the curse, and by his own cowardly nature, Matthew wanders from place to place and voyage to voyage, aging only ten years every century.

He experiences prosperity and hardship, meets some of the most famous people of each age, but always, always his curse draws him back to the ocean and the ships that sail her...

Running Proud tells the first part of tale of Matthew Lawe, and naval history, from the Armada to the Battle of Trafalgar.

Monsarrat concentrated on accuracy in his retelling of events, leading to Matthew being an onlooker only, rather than a participant. As he is a lowly merchant crewman, ignored by many of the officers, this is realistic. It also means the book is accurate enough to be read for research not just for fiction - although adult material makes it unsuitable for children. 

Following Nicholas Monserrat's untimely death, it was decided to gather the completed sections and his authors notes for the remainder of the trilogy and combine them into one single volume. Beautifully written and surprisingly moving given that the latter half is only notes, this provides the complete story for those who enjoyed the first book.

The books can be difficult to get hold of through Amazon.com. However, they are usually in stock through Amazon.co.uk: