The Times's parliamentary sketch writer and columnist Matthew Parris first confessed his childhood dream of living on the south Indian Ocean island of Kerguelen in this newspaper six years ago. On August 6 he left the island after a six-month stay there. Gathered here are the columns he has written about or from the island for The Times
Part 1: Too many lives, not enough time (May 30, 1994)
In which our columnist wonders if he will ever reach Kerguelen ...
Part 2: My new year's resolution: start planning for isthmus day (January 6, 1997)
A map arrives. Serious plans to set sail are afoot.
Part 3: Goodbye llamas, hello Desolation Island (March 18, 2000)
In which Baroness Thatcher tells Matthew that he will go to his island.
Part 4: But will I miss you when I'm gone? (March 25, 2000)
A chance to cancel but the decision is taken out of his hands.
Part 5: News from nowhere (April 18, 2000)
The first occasional dispatch from our writer cast away.
Part 6: Hell and high waters (May 13, 2000)
Fear turns to enchantment on a five-day trek across Desolation Island.
Part 7: Walking in the land of broken dreams (June 3, 2000)
An abandoned whaling station and a forgotten cemetery.
Part 8: I become a caveman on Desolation Island (June 17, 2000)
Halfway up a mountainside of fallen rocks, but what a view!
Part 9: Adieu Pierre, you were always a lost cause (July 1, 2000)
Port Couvreux and the poignancy of failure.
Part 10: A deadly shadow falls on Desolation Island (July 8, 2000)
An accidental gunshot and the true significance of community.
Part 11: You're all albatrosses, you great boobies (July 22, 2000)
Do an albatross a favour: choose dolphin-unfriendly tuna.
Part 12: How death came to haunt my desert island (August 5, 2000)
A lesson learnt: close communities avoid talking about things that touch deeply.
