Silversea Cruises has revealed its roster of Tale Tellers for its 2022 Tale of Tales World Cruise. The leading ultra-luxury cruise line has named nine celebrated creatives who will each set sail on a segment of next year’s 138-day world cruise to enrich the guest experience as they explore 69 destinations in 32 countries aboard the Silver Whisper. Guests will visit six continents as they travel from 65°S to 65°N, departing Fort Lauderdale on January 5, 2022, and arriving in Copenhagen on May 22. Each Tale Teller will contribute a chapter to the Tale of Tales anthology, which will be given to guests as a memento of the voyage’s conclusion.
“Following the success of our 2019 Tale of Tales WORLD CRUISE, we are delighted to welcome nine celebrated storytellers aboard for our 2022 WORLD CRUISE,” says Barbara Muckermann, Chief Commercial Officer of Silversea Cruises. “Our guests, as they travel the world, are enriched by collecting interactions with people, so they will enjoy unique insights and fascinating observations from some of the world’s most prominent creative minds during this unforgettable voyage. The Tale of Tales anthology will commemorate their experiences, providing a beautiful keepsake to last a lifetime.”.
The nine Tale Tellers joining Silversea's Tale of Tales World Cruise 2022 are:
PAUL THEROUX – Fort Lauderdale to Lima (Callao)
Paul Theroux was born in Medford, Massachusetts. After college, he lived and worked for extended periods in Africa, Singapore, and Great Britain, returning to the United States in 1989. He is the author of several acclaimed works, including The Great Railway Bazaar (1975), Mother Land (2017), and Under the Wave in Waimea (2021). In 2015, Theroux received the Royal Geographical Society's Founders Medal for "the encouragement of geographical discovery through travel writing."
JOSEPH E. STIGLITZ – Lima (Callao) to Ushuaia.
Joseph E. Stiglitz is an American economist and professor at Columbia University. He is co-chair of the OECD's Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress expert group and chief economist at the Roosevelt Institute. He received the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 2001 and the John Bates Clark Medal in 1979. He is also a former senior vice president and chief economist of the World Bank and a former member and chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers. In 2011, Time magazine named Stiglitz one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He is the author of numerous books, including several bestsellers.
NICHOLAS CRANE – Ushuaia to Cape Town.
Nicholas Crane is an author, geographer, cartography expert, and recipient of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society's Mungo Park Medal for outstanding contributions to geographical knowledge. He is also a recipient of the Royal Geographical Society's Ness Award for popularizing geography and the understanding of Great Britain. From 2015 to 2018, Nick was the elected president of the Royal Geographical Society. He has also presented several television series on BBC2 and has been the main presenter for over 80 BBC films.
Pico Iyer – Cape Town to Mahé.
Pico Iyer is a world-renowned essayist and novelist whose travels have taken him from Antarctica to North Korea. The author of 15 books, Iyer has also been a regular essayist for 35 years, contributing to magazines such as Time, Harper's, The New York Review of Books, and The New York Times, among some 250 other publications.
MONICA HANNA – Mahé to Aqaba (Petra)
Dr. Monica Hanna is an internationally renowned figure in the world of archaeology. After studying at the American University in Cairo from 2004, she joined the University of Pisa, Italy, to complete her PhD in archaeology, and subsequently became a postdoctoral fellow at the Topoi Cluster of Excellence at Humboldt University of Berlin. Hanna is now an associate professor and acting dean of the Faculty of Archaeology and Cultural Heritage at the Arab Academy of Science, Technology and Maritime Transport in Egypt. She has won numerous awards, including the SAFE Beacon Award, and was named a “Woman of Monuments” by UNESCO in 2014. In 2021, she was named one of the 50 most influential women in Egypt.
EAMONN GEARON – Aqaba (Petra) to Athens.
Eamonn Gearon is an author, analyst, and public historian who has spent over 20 years living and working in the Middle East and North Africa. Eamonn spent many happy times exploring the Sahara as a young man. He is now training British diplomats at the Commonwealth Office for Foreign Affairs and Development, where he also pioneered online Area Studies training. Eamonn is passionate about education in its broadest sense, which includes helping those already out in the world to understand it and each other.
STEVE MCCURRY – Athens to Bordeaux.
A longtime Silversea collaborator, Steve McCurry has been one of the most iconic voices in contemporary photography for over 40 years, with dozens of magazine and book covers, more than a dozen books, and countless exhibitions worldwide. It was in India that McCurry learned to observe and wait for life. His work encompasses conflict, dying cultures, ancient traditions, and contemporary culture alike, but always retains the human element that made his celebrated image of the Afghan girl so powerful. McCurry has been recognized with some of the industry's most prestigious awards, including the Robert Capa Gold Medal.
ASMA KHAN – Bordeaux to Reykjavik.
Asma Khan is the chef and owner of the Darjeeling Express restaurant. She comes from royal lineage: Rajput on her father's side and Bengali on her mother's. Khan opened Darjeeling Express in June 2017. A year later, Pavilion published her first cookbook, Asma's Indian Kitchen, which won an award at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. Asma was the first British chef to appear on Netflix's Emmy-nominated 'Chef's Table,' and her episode received a 2020 James Beard Award nomination. Business Insider also named her number one on its list of the "100 Coolest People in Food & Drink." She also became the first chef to appear on Vogue's list of the 25 Most Influential Women of the Year for 2020.
CHRISTINA FRANCO – Reykjavik to Copenhagen.
Christina Franco grew up with a secret passion for the North Pole. Working as a guide in Italy and Africa, as well as embarking on many expeditions across mountains and deserts, gave Christina the confidence to finally set foot on the ice in 2005, when she won the Polar Race alongside her teammate Justin Packshaw. Christina is now one of only five women to have attempted a solo ice crossing to the North Pole. Sadly, due to melting ice, she was also the last woman to attempt it in 2010.
