The Journey on Kon-Tiki

Translated into more than 70 languages of the world! Over 50 million copies sold! Published in the translation of 1955 by Lev Lvovich Zhdanov.

Have you ever crossed the ocean? On a raft made of balsa logs, which Polynesians used for sea travels thousands of years ago? Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl (1914–2002) invites us on such an expedition. And if you are not afraid to push off the shores of South America and embark on an adventure, then you have the right book in your hands. We wish you fair winds and incredible discoveries!

About the author:
THOR HEYERDAHL (1914–2002) — Norwegian archaeologist, traveler, and writer.
Heyerdahl's journey on a raft across the Pacific Ocean was prompted by ancient chronicles and drawings by Spanish conquistadors depicting Incan rafts, as well as local legends and archaeological evidence that suggested there could have been contacts between South America and Polynesia.
In 1947, Heyerdahl and five other travelers — Knut Haugland, Bengt Danielssohn, Erik Hesselberg, Thorstein Raaby, and Herman Watzinger — arrived in Peru, where they built a raft called "Kon-Tiki" from balsa wood and other natural materials.
They set sail on the Pacific Ocean on April 28, and on August 7, on the 102nd day of navigation, their raft, having covered 4,300 nautical miles (8,000 km), was washed ashore at the reefs of Raroia Atoll in the Tuamotu Islands.
"Kon-Tiki" demonstrated that a primitive raft, using the Humboldt current and favorable winds, could indeed relatively easily and safely cross the Pacific Ocean to the west.
Inspired by the "Kon-Tiki" voyage, many have repeated this journey on their own rafts. Thor Heyerdahl's book "Kon-Tiki" has been translated into more than 70 languages of the world. The documentary film about the expedition, shot by Heyerdahl and his companions during the voyage, won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature in 1952.

About the translator:
LEV LVOVICH ZHDANOV (1924–1995) — a writer and translator of the third generation. In the early 20th century, his grandfather Lev Grigoryevich Zhdanov (1854–1951) gained fame with his historical novels; his father, Lev Shiffers, was also a prose writer and translator. Lev Zhdanov spent his childhood in Norway.
He participated in the Great Patriotic War, encountering its end in Berlin. The translator's literary debut took place in 1955 when his translation of Thor Heyerdahl's book "The Journey on Kon-Tiki" was printed in the journal "Youth". Throughout his life, Lev Zhdanov translated over 150 books from English, Norwegian, Swedish, and other languages. Thanks to him, Russian readers became acquainted with the works of such writers as R. Amundsen, B. Danielsson, J.-Y. Cousteau, Y. Lindblad, J. Durrell, C. Simak, A. Clarke, R. Bradbury, and others.