Explorers Dreamers and Thieves: Latin American Writers in the British Museum

Explorers, Dreamers and Thieves is an adventure through memory and archives, inspired by the complex history of encounter between Europe and the Americas. Six writers were invited to examine ethnographic documents and imagine narratives about the people involved in bringing works to the museum.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 125 pages
Publication date: 07 May 2024
Publisher: Charco Press

Explorers, Dreamers, and Thieves is an adventure through memory and archives. This book is an exercise in invention that emerges from the complex history of encounter between Europe and the Americas. Following the success of Untold Microcosms, which saw ten Latin American authors write stories inspired by objects from their countries held by the British Museum, the curatorial team at the Museum and at Hay Festival have joined forces again, this time with a slightly different proposal. Six writers – Selva Almada, Rita Indiana, Josefa Sánchez, Philippe Sands, Juan Gabriel Vásquez, and Gabriela Weiner – were invited to examine a series of ethnographic documents: a profusion of diaries, letters, drawings, thoughts, and transactions, all referring to the acquisition of works for the collection. Using this material as a starting point, they were asked to imagine narratives about the people involved in bringing those pieces to the museum. The journey through these texts is not unlike the one that, in years past, was undertaken by the explorers, dreamers, and thieves who serve as an inspiration for this book. Translated by Anne McLean, Robin Myers, Carolina Orloff, Fionn Petch, and Frances Riddle.

Dimension: 198 x 129 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781913867942