As a great international capital, once at the hub of an enormous colonial Empire, London has long attracted visits by writers, artists and intellectuals from around the world. University College London is curating how London has been seen through the eyes of Europe’s cultural luminaries by mapping some of these observations of the city.
‘Lost & Found: A European Literary Map of London’ is peppered with a series of colorful markers, each bearing the name of a European writer, artist or intellectual who has visited the city. Click on a marker and you can read an excerpt from the named cultural icon describing their impressions of London. The excerpts are taken from novels, letters and biographies, so contain a mix of fictional and non-fictional descriptions of the capital.
The map’s curators acknowledge that at the moment there is “an over-representation of white, male writers” on the map – so they welcome ideas for new passages which can be added to the map, particularly from under-represented groups. You can submit “descriptions of different sites/encounters with London, written in European languages beyond English” by completing a short form.
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