In her first work of non-fiction in translation, Mariana Enríquez takes us on an extraordinary and unsettling gothic journey through the world’s cemeteries. With vivid prose, she transforms these spaces into living, breathing realms of reflection, obsession, and revelation, where the living and the dead meet.
From the haunting statues of Staglieno in Genoa to the eerie silence of Rottnest Island’s hidden Aboriginal cemetery, Enríquez’s narrative effortlessly blends travelogue, essay, and memoir. She explores renowned graveyards like Montparnasse in Paris, Highgate in London, and the Jewish cemetery in Prague, as well as more remote and obscure sites. These pages are filled with famous figures, mournful sculptures, voodoo, catacombs, skeletons, and an array of captivating legends.
As she roams these burial grounds, each cemetery becomes a lens through which Enriquez reflects on everything from colonial violence to the strange rituals surrounding death.
This is a rare opportunity to hear the award-winning Argentine author of The Dangers of Smoking in Bed and A Sunny Place for Shady People speak in the UK. We are thrilled to host her at the beautiful Octagon Chapel, at the heart of a city steeped in churches, graveyards, and stories.
