Destination London: Writing Cities from Eastern Europe

Destination London

19 October - 7 November 2009

Destination London is a series of public events, which mark the completion of the East Looks West travel writing project.

East Looks West

East Looks West: East European Travel Writing on European Identities and Divisions, 1600 - 2000 was a multi-annual project at UCL, researching, developing resources and publishing work on East European travel writing, 1600-2000 and beyond. The project addressed the general need to re-examine what we mean by national and regional identity in post cold-war Europe through an assessment of East European travel texts. At a time when both Eastern and Western European identities are increasingly in flux, and the concept of Europe and its political enlargement constitute a major intellectual and political concern, it aimed to generate a nuanced understanding of the development of ideas of Europe's limits and divisions - and their consequences. Funding for this project has been generously provided by the Arts and Humanities Research Board, the Modern Humanities Research Association, the Leverhulme Trust, the British Academy and the British Council.

Destination London

Destination London comprises a number of events to present and reflect on this research project. They include:

  • A Reception to launch the 'East Looks West' books edited by Wendy Bracewell and Alex Drace-Francis
  • An Evening of Readings and Discussion exploring east European perspectives on London and different approaches to writing about the city, with writers Kapka Kassabova, Vesna Marić, Andrea Pisac, Borivoj Radaković, Iain Sinclair and Vitali Vitaliev
  • The Destination London Podcasts
  • The Balkanising Bloomsbury Public Writing Workshop
  • A Two-Day Writing Workshop for School Students with Vesna Marić
  • A Radio Programme on Resonance 104.4fm including interviews and excerpts of Destination London events. 
  • Public Engagement Workshops for UCL and CEELBAS Arts and Humanities Postgraduates.

If you would like to receive further information, please contact Aneliya Kuzmanova at, or see the Destination London website.


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