The wreck of the Batavia cover

The wreck of the Batavia

by Simon Leys

This book is actually comprised of two narratives; the true story of the wreck of the schooner Batavia, and an account of the author's brief trip on a Breton fishing boat. The Batavia was a Dutch merchant ship, sailing for the Dutch East India Company from Holland to Java, in 1629. The ship was wrecked off the coast of Western Australia and the survivors endured a harrowing experience under an officer out of control.; of 300 who made it to shore, 200 were slaughtered before a rescue vessel arrived. 65 pages. "Prosper" recounts the author's short time aboard one of the last sailing tuna fishing boats in 1958. 50 pages. Both accounts are interesting and informative.

More by Simon Leys

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?