Beyond the Pampas

Imogen Herrad goes in search of the Welsh-speaking communities of Argentina to discover not only their thriving contemporary lives but also their pioneering history, but the story of the oppressed native peoples of Patagonia, and herself. Welsh Books Council Beyond the Pampas is an exploration of the lives of the descendants of nineteenth century Welsh settlers in Argentina. Herrad discovers a fascinating melding of Welsh and Spanish language cultures through which she explores the nature of heritage and identity. Her expectations are further challenged by the plight of Patagonia's indigenous peoples the Tehuelche and Mapuche with the land-related cultures and oppression by European settlers. This is an additional prism through which to view history, as is the difference Herrad discovers between metropolitan Buenos Aires and the rural hinterland. And the whole is underpinned by Herrad's personal journey of self-discovery, from an abusive childhood in Germany to acceptance in the communities of Wales and Patagonia. Herrad's openness to new experience and her wonder at the natural world result in a rich and evocative depiction of the exotic places in which she finds herself, from camping under the stars in the Andes to whale-watching on the Atlantic coast, and from the Welsh-speaking tea rooms of Chubut to the museums of lost Indian peoples.