The Traveller | The Revolutionary Life of George Forster

This is an in-person event only. There is no live stream.

(The talk will be followed by a book sale/signing and drinks reception in our historic library, where a paid bar will be available.)

In this beautifully illustrated talk, Andrea Wulf tells the compelling story of George Forster, a remarkable young naturalist, writer and revolutionary who challenged the dominant worldviews of eighteenth-century Europe. Celebrated during his lifetime, he knew Goethe, Benjamin Franklin, Mary Wollstonecraft and Alexander von Humboldt but has since been largely forgotten by history. The Traveller seeks to restore Forster as one of the great visionaries of his era.

At just seventeen, Forster joined Captain Cook’s second voyage, travelling from Antarctica to the South Pacific. Driven by insatiable curiosity, he studied nature, cultures and societies, developing a profound belief in the equality of all races – an understanding far ahead of his time.

On his return, he was feted across Europe and used his fame to argue for freedom, human rights and against empire, racism and slavery. He challenged leading thinkers like Rousseau and Kant, and admired strong women. Inspired by the French Revolution, Forster became a leader of the short-lived Republic of Mainz before being exiled to Paris.

Wulf presents a vivid portrait of a passionate thinker and his extraordinary quest to find what connects us rather than what sets us apart.

is an award-winning author of several books, including ‘Magnificent Rebels’ and the international bestseller ‘The Invention of Nature. Alexander von Humboldt’s New World’ which is published in 27 languages. A New York Times bestseller, it also won fifteen international literary awards, including the Royal Society Science Book Prize and the Costa Biography Award. Andrea is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

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Concessions

Please buy the concession ticket if you are:

• 65 years of age, or over
• Under 26 years of age
• Currently in receipt of UK government benefit (including, but not limited to, Income Based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and Housing Benefit, and Universal Credit).
• Currently in full-time education.

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This is an in-person event at the Linnean Society of London on Piccadilly, London, only.

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Host or Publisher Linnean Society of London