Beyond the Pampas : In Search of Patagonia

Beyond the Pampas is both a modern-day travelogue and a history of the nineteenth-century Welsh settlers in Argentina. Past and present, Imogen Herrad discovers a fascinating melding of Welsh- and Spanish-language cultures, from metropolitan Buenos Aires to the rural hinterland. This is a book about heritage and identity, set against the unsettling backdrop of the plight of Patagonia''s indigenous peoples, the Tehuelce and the Mapuche. It is also Herrad''s own 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 depiction of the exotic places in which she finds herself – be it camping under the stars in the Andes, or whale-watching on the Atlantic coast, or sampling the Welsh-speaking tea rooms of Chubut.

Imogen Herrad was born in Germany. She is the author of The Woman Who Loved an Octopus and other stories (Seren, 2007). ''The Accident'' was longlisted for the Raymond Carver Short Story Award, and was published in Safe World Gone (2007); ''Rhiannon''s Bird'' appears in the Seren anthology Sing Sorrow Sorrow: Dark and Chilling Tales (2010). She currently divides her time between Cardiff and Cologne.