Patagonia A Cultural History

by Moss, Chris

• ISBN13: 9780195342499
• ISBN10: 0195342496
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-09-08
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Forming a vast triangle at the southern tip of South America, Patagonia is a landscape of barren steppes, soaring peaks, and fierce wind, inspiring generations of travelers and artists. From the empty plans to the crashing seas, from the giant dinosaur fossils to the massive glacialsculptures, Chris Moss introduces readers to Patagonia's dramatic landscape--a land that, like Siberia and the Sahara, has become a metaphor for nothingness and extremity. A vivid and accessible introduction to Patagonia's history and culture, this book follows a colorful cast of characters--fromMagellan and Darwin to mad kings, gauchos, and Nazi fugitives--as it evokes Patagonia's grip on the imagination.

Author Biography

Chris Moss is a travel writer and a former journalist at The Buenos Aires Herald.

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

The Last Days of Shorr: Patagonia's Indigenous Myths

The Invention of Patagonia: Magellan and Drake

Port Famine: Sarmiento de Gamboa

The English Mariners: Cavendish, Davis, Byron

Unreal Cities: Founding Fathers and Fantasists

Sounding the Soul: FitzRoy, Darwin and Jemmy Button

Y Wladfa: The Welsh in Patagonia

King of Patagonia: Orllie Antoine and the Araucanos

Mystical Twitcher

Patagonia Conquered, 1870-1922

Taming the Wind: Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Reclaiming Territory: Latin American Narratives

Minimal Stories: Film and Music in Patagonia

Chatwin, Theroux and the Travel Writers Postscript: Deconstructing Patagonia: The Brand, the Brochures and Juan Baudrillard

Further Reading

Index

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