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

Explorers Dreamers and Thieves: Latin American Writers in the British Museum
“by: Gabriela Weiner (Author),Juan Gabriel Vásquez(Author),Philippe Sands(Author),Josefa Sánchez(Author),Rita Indiana(Author), Selva Almada(Author),Carolina Orloff (Editor)&4more”
Publisher:Charco Press
Publication Date: 7 May 2024
Language:English
Print Length:125 pages
ISBN-10:1913867943
ISBN-13:9781913867942
Book Description
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 andGabriela 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.
About the Author
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 andGabriela 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.