Lost & Found: Mapping European Literary London

For centuries, writers have come to London from across Europe and beyond – as honoured guests and anonymous aliens; tourists and refugees; students and wanderers. 

In the squalid slums of the East End, in the glitter and glamour of Belgravia, in the unspoilt expanse of Hampstead Heath, these writers lose – and find - themselves. Their encounters with the city leave a mark: on the writer, on their work and, sometimes, on London itself.

Drawing on an interactive digital map of London developed by UCL European Institute, the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and the Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, with contributions from across the UCL community, ‘Lost & Found’ uncovers these literary traces, revealing a Europe and a London of the imagination. The exhibition features the writings of Hans Christian Andersen, Giacomo Casanova, Joseph Conrad, Ananda Devi, Simonetta Agnello Hornby and many others.

Explore London through the eyes of European writers through the ages, and reflect on the city as a place where journeys intersect; where people and cultures meet and are transformed.

View the digital map

Come and Try... Poetry & Spoken Word

Tuesday 19 March 14:30-16:30
UCL Art Museum

Spend some time exploring this exhibition, and in turn take a deeper look into the places and experiences that have shaped you. Poet and musician Remi Graves will lead the workshop encouraging you to think deeply about the places in and beyond London that have had a lasting impact on you.

Book now via Eventbrite