THE CASTAWAY Marguerite de La Rocque

About this episode

The episode explores the harrowing survival story of Marguerite de La Rocque on the Isle of Demons and features an interview with Allegra Goodman.

[audio updated 6/02] Marooned on a frigid island in 1641, a young French woman single-handedly fought off polar bears, starvation, and loneliness, buried her lover, her maidservant, and her newborn child, and spent almost two full years completely alone -- except, of course, for the 100,000 demons whose screams were her nightly companions. That she lived through it all is a miracle - and a mystery: How did Marguerite de La Rocque survive the infamous "Isle of Demons" - and how much of this enigmatic tale can we ever actually know? Olivia interviews Allegra Goodman, author of the award-winning historical novel Isola. Music featured in this episode provided by Emily A. Sprague, Brian Bolger, pATCHES, Sir Cubworth, Track Tribe, and the Tudor Consort. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Olivia

Guest: Allegra Goodman

Topics covered

• survival
• historical narrative
• isolation
• female resilience
• mystery

Keywords

• Marguerite de La Rocque
• Isle of Demons
• survival story
• historical novel
• Allegra Goodman

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Emily A. Sprague, Brian Bolger, pATCHES, Sir Cubworth, Track Tribe, the Tudor Consort

Books & works: Isola

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