Alexander Pechmann's 'La biblioteca de los siete mares' Explores Maritime Literature
In 'La biblioteca de los siete mares' (The Library of the Seven Seas), Austrian author Alexander Pechmann delves into the captivating nature of the sea within literature, intertwining genuine sailor tales with themes of myth and adventure. The text is divided into seven thematic sections: myths, the unknown, adventures, work, calamity, fear, and passion, facilitating a journey through time. Pechmann offers a complex depiction of Odysseus and investigates the relationship between history and fiction at sea. He includes writers such as Homer, Defoe, Melville, and Poe, drawing parallels like Sinbad being a descendant of Odysseus. The work critiques colonial exploitation and the harsh realities of piracy. Released by Acantilado, translated by Alejandro Pantoja, it consists of 320 pages and is priced at 24 euros. Pechmann, born in Vienna in 1968, is recognized for his biographies of Melville and Shelley.
Key facts
- Alexander Pechmann is the author of 'La biblioteca de los siete mares'.
- The book is structured around seven thematic seas: myths, the unknown, adventures, work, calamity, fear, and passion.
- Pechmann examines the sea's role in literature, from Homer to Lovecraft.
- The essay discusses the blurring of history and fiction in maritime tales.
- Pechmann highlights connections between authors and works, such as Sinbad as a descendant of Odysseus.
- The book addresses colonial abuses and the brutality of piracy.
- Pechmann's selection focuses on English-language authors of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
- The book is published by Acantilado, translated by Alejandro Pantoja, 320 pages, 24 euros.
- Pechmann was born in Vienna in 1968 and has written biographies of Herman Melville and Mary Shelley.
Entities
Artists
- Alexander Pechmann
- Homer
- Daniel Defoe
- Herman Melville
- Robert Louis Stevenson
- Jules Verne
- Joseph Conrad
- Emilio Salgari
- Edgar Allan Poe
- Jack London
- H. P. Lovecraft
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- Charles Baudelaire
- Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Jane Austen
- Ernest Hemingway
- Patrick O'Brian
- Pío Baroja
- Álvaro Cunqueiro
- Mary Shelley
- W. B. Yeats
- Nathaniel Hawthorne
Institutions
- Acantilado
Locations
- Vienna
- Austria