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.

‘Lost & Found’ uncovers these literary traces, revealing a Europe and a London of the imagination. Featuring the writings of Hans Christian Andersen, Giacomo Casanova, Joseph Conrad, Ananda Devi, Simonetta Agnello Hornby and many others.

The exhibition draws on an interactive digital map of London developed by the UCL European Institute, the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and the Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, with contributions from across the UCL community.

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

Find out more about the European Literary Map project

Partners and supporters