The narrative of the shipwreck of the Juno on the coast of Aracan (Burma) In 1795 was written by William Mackay , who was Second Officer on that ship. Published as a pamphlet in 1798 it fell into the hands of Lord Byron when he was a schoolboy and made such an impression on him that years later, when he wrote the shipwreck scene in Don Juan , he incorporated the main Incident of this narrative.
Many of those 19th-century writers who had read the original narrative considered its prose superior to Byron's poetic adaptation.
NarratorHughburden William Mackay. HENRY STAMPER Reader ............. DAVID GOODERSON Adapted and produced by TONY GOULD
(Byron's Don Juan : tomorrow,
11.25 pm)