This Way North by Olly Williams
About the Book
This Way North chronicles an adventure in the spirit of Jack London.
About the Author
Artist / Author / Entrepreneur / Risk-Taker / Outdoorsman / Adventurer
“. . . if a Great White went for Olly he might get back to the boat practically intact.” —Clive James, novelist, poet and critic
Olly Williams has made a career of defying stereotypes and living the adventures that most people only read about. And in his case, those doing the reading have learned about Olly’s adventures in leading publications such as Esquire, Men’s Vogue and National Geographic.
Whether he’s making art, leading Olly Suzi Expeditions, writing books, developing a clothing line, or honing his skills as a medic, tracker and expedition guide, the wilderness plays a lead role. A love of wild animals and remote regions is at his core.
For the past 20 years, he has created art, film and photography as part of the collaborative art partnership known as Olly & Suzi (www.ollysuzi.com). During that time he has worked with Suzi in search of endangered predators and their prey in remote habitats. Olly has tracked and painted Polar Bears in Arctic Siberia; crocodiles in Australia; African wild-dogs, buffalo and lions in Tanzania; Grizzlies in Alaska—and much, much more . . .
London’s Natural History Museum held a major retrospective show of their work in 2001–02. Titled “Olly & Suzi Untamed,” the exhibition attracted over one million visitors while Olly and Suzi completed a one-year residency at the Museum. Their work is held in major international private and public collections.
His medical and military training have equipped him with the skills and expertise to travel and work in dangerous habitats. However, because every environment he encounters presents its own unique characteristics, he is always facing new challenges and learning anew. For this reason—whether he’s creating art in the wild with Suzi, organizing Olly Suzi Expeditions for clients or working as a guide—he continues honing his skills.
In addition to being an artist, Olly is a scuba diving instructor, as well as an accomplished marksman and game tracker; in his younger days, he was also a promising rugby player and amateur boxer (he fought in the New York Golden Gloves in the 80’s for the Syracuse ‘Salt City’ team). Olly served as a combat medic in the UK’s reserve forces during the early 90’s and has also undergone both Arctic and jungle survival training. He is trained to an advanced level in tactical-tracking and indigenous-food-gathering skills—all of which have helped him survive a wide variety of extreme environments.
The abilities that kept him alive in the wild have fuelled his drive as an entrepreneur. Olly has first-hand experience of securing funding and sponsorship for various business ventures, and is constantly finding new ways to express his love of the wilderness. In addition to running Olly Suzi Expeditions, he and Suzi have developed three clothing lines for England’s Top Shop chain and a range of posters, prints and postcards for the Habitat stores.
In February 2008, the BBC’s prestigious documentary strand “Storyville” commissioned Olly & Suzi’s ongoing documentary film directed by Rupert Murray and produced by Arcane Pictures. It will air on the BBC in mid 2009 and then open in the United States.
Olly is co-author of Olly & Suzi: Arctic Desert Ocean Jungle (Harry N. Abrams, 2003). This Way North is his first novel.
Olly lives in England and Arctic Sweden with his wife and two children.