Cartographies of the imagination, with Charles Vess and guests

This event will take place in the British Library Knowledge Centre Pigott Theatre. It will be simultaneously live streamed on the British Library platform as part of Fantasy Worlds: A Day of Talks online day pass. Tickets may be booked either to attend in person (physical) or to watch on our platform (online) either live or within 48 hours on catch up. Viewing links for the online version will be sent out shortly before the event.

We always talk about reading maps, and as lines on a page and, as two-dimensional depictions of a three-dimensional world, they can only ever offer us a representation of reality. But what of maps of fictional or even fantastical places? Why are fantasy writers from J.R.R. Tolkien to George R. R. Martin, in particular, so drawn to cartography? What do these fabulous charts add to the story? When did it all begin? How close do they map onto the timeless worlds they illustrate? Where does the line lie between truth and fiction in the weird and wonderful landscapes of gamers, ancient and modern?

Our panel will help unravel the mystery of fantastical maps in conversation with the author Travis Elborough.

We are proud to announce the participation of world-renowned artist Charles Vess. Charles is primarily a fantasy and comics artist who has specialized in the illustration of myths and fairy tales. His career includes covers and illustrations for Spider-Man, Stephen Spielberg's Hook, and Swamp Thing. His collaborations with author Neil Gaiman have produced works such as the Books of Magic and Sandman, as well as the award-winning novel Stardust. His Green Man Press has published a series of comics under the name The Book of Ballads and Songs with contributions from Gaiman and others such as Jeff Smith, Emma Bull and Charles de Lint.

Described by The Guardian as ‘one of the country’s finest pop culture historians’, Travis Elborough has been a freelance author, broadcaster and cultural commentator for over two decades now. Elborough’s books include Through the Looking Glasses: The Spectacular Life of Spectacles and Atlas of Vanishing Places, winner of Edward Stanford Travel Book Award in 2020.

Joining Charles and Travis will be writer and critic Anahit Behrooz. She is the author of Mapping Middle-earth: Environmental and Political Narratives in J. R. R. Tolkien's Cartographies (forthcoming with Bloomsbury) and BFFs: The Radical Potential of Female Friendship (out with 404 Ink). She received her PhD from the University of Edinburgh, and has taught at both the University of Edinburgh and Edinburgh Napier University. She now works as an arts journalist at The Skinny, and has written for the likes of i-D, AnOther Magazine and The Big Issue.

Supported by the U.S. Embassy, London and the Eccles Centre for American Studies at the British Library.

This event accompanies the British Library exhibition Fantasy: Realms of Imagination 27 October – 25 February supported by Wayland Games and Unwin Charitable Trust



If you’re attending in person, please arrive no later than 15 minutes before the start time of this event.

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