The author of Sudden Death returns with a new novel that reimagines the destinies of Tenochtitlan.

In-person registration for this event has sold out, but livestream tickets are still available. A limited number of standby tickets will be available on the night of the event.

One morning in 1519, conquistador Hernán Cortés entered Tenochtitlan—present-day Mexico City. Later that day, he would meet the emperor Moctezuma in a collision of two worlds, two empires, two languages, and two possible futures. Told over the course of one extraordinary day, You Dreamed of Empires rambles in the Aztec capital as it is on the verge of conquest and Moctezuma is at a political, spiritual, and physical crossroads. Álvaro Enrigue offers an alternative account rendered in vivid sensory detail of what happens when two societies with the power to preserve or destroy civilizations collide.

Enrigue discusses with author Marie Arana writing against the historical record and the real and imagined forces behind the fateful meeting of Hernán Cortés and Moctezuma.

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ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Álvaro Enrigue is a Mexican writer who was a Cullman Center Fellow and a Fellow at the Princeton University Program in Latin American Studies. He has taught at New York University, Princeton University, the University of Maryland, and Columbia University. His work has appeared in The New York Times, n+1, London Review of Books, and El País, among others. His books include Sudden Death, and have been awarded the Herralde Prize, the Barcelona Prize, and the Poniatowska Prize. He lives in New York with his family and teaches Latin American Literature at Hofstra University.

Marie Arana was born in Lima, Peru. She is the author of the memoir American Chica, a finalist for the National Book Award; two novels, Cellophane and Lima Nights; the prizewinning biography Bolivar; Silver, Sword, and Stone, a narrative history of Latin America; and The Writing Life, a collection from her well-known column for The Washington Post. She is the inaugural Literary Director of the Library of Congress and lives in Washington, DC, and Lima, Peru.

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ACCESSIBILITY

In-Person | Assistive listening devices and/or hearing loops are available at the venue. You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation or CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation) captioning service by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org or use this Gmail template. This venue is fully accessible to wheelchairs. 

Livestream | Captions and a transcript will be provided. Media used over the course of the conversation will be accompanied by alt text and/or audio description. You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org or use this Gmail template.

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Álvaro Enrigue © Javier Narvaez
Courtesy Marie Arana