Call for Contributions: European Literary Map

What is the European Literary Map of London?

The UCL European Literary Map of London is an interactive online map that acts as a guide to the city of London through the eyes of Europe’s literary, musical, artistic and scientific minds.

A first version – comprising 50 entries in 16 languages describing different sites and experiences of London in text, painting, moving image or song – was created by the UCL European Institute for the Faculty of Arts and Humanities Welcome Season in 2020.

An updated version of the map is currently under development, and we are looking to crowdsource new entries from across the UCL community, and beyond.

How can I contribute?

We are looking for descriptions of different sites/encounters with London, by European (non-UK) artists, musicians or writers (fiction, non-fiction, philosophy, fine art, film).

This could be in the form of an extract from a text, a film, a painting or a song. Existing entries range from a Stefan Zweig passage on Hyde Park to a scene from Finnish film ‘I hired a contract killer’ set on Kingsland Road.

Text excerpts (ideally in both the original language and in translation) should ideally be between 300-500 words. Contributors will be recognised/linked to on the map, unless they would prefer otherwise.

Contact point and deadline for contributions

Please email giulia.metyas.19@alumni.ucl.ac.uk and/or l.shackleton@ucl.ac.uk with one (or more) reference/text excerpt, plus one (or more) link to the relevant book/film/artwork/author/artist.

Contributions are ideally sought by 17 February 2023 (this deadline has been extended).

How will my contribution be used?

An updated version of the map will be profiled via the UCL European Institute website, and used as a teaching aid across the Faculty of Arts & Humanities.

In partnership with UCL Culture, the European Institute will also host an exhibition based on the European Literary Map from summer 2023 onward in the South Cloisters, for which some of the entries will be used.

In partnership with UCL Culture, the European Institute will also host a public exhibition based on the European Literary Map from summer-November 2023. We plan to use this exhibition as the backdrop for a season of collaborative, cultural progamming building on the map entries. If you are interested in opportunities to collaborate on this, please contact l.shackleton@ucl.ac.uk