Memory of Fire, Vol. I: Genesis by Eduardo Galeano

The Unseen Book Club

Memory of Fire, a trilogy written by Eduardo Galeano between 1981-86 while in exile from his native Uruguay, traces the history of the Americas from the earliest periods of European contact through conquest, colonization, independence, revolutions, imperialism and globalization. Composed of short, fictionalized vignettes depicting historical figures at iconic moments, scenes of daily life, class conflict and encounters with the natural world, Memory of Fire recasts history as a collective, human process unfolding in cyclical, mythic time. While it emphasizes the agency and experiences of women, indigenous, the enslaved and the exploited, it is unflinching in its depiction of the brutal and compromised humanity of the powerful.

In part one of our two-part discussion, we talk with guest Andrés Black about prophecy, mamey fruit, conquistadors drinking molten gold, the tragic figure La Malinche, and the rest of it. The past is the present, and we are our ancestor’s living dreams.

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Interstitial music by La Guacharaca: https://jzaratech.wixsite.com/elvalledelbrujo/la-musica

Theme music by ex-official: https://exofficialexo.bandcamp.com/

Art by Eli Liebman: https://elimack.weebly.com/