Created as a 'space to sit and read and be', 'library of exile' is an installation by British artist and writer, Edmund de Waal, housing more than 2,000 books in translation, written by exiled authors. Unveiled to great acclaim during the Venice Biennale 2019, this porcelain-covered pavilion is intended as a place of contemplation and dialogue. 'It is about exile,' says de Waal, 'what it means to have to move to another country, to speak another language.' From Ovid and Dante to Marina Tsvetaeva and Judith Kerr, the library forms a record of repression while celebrating the response of the displaced. Almost all of the books are in translation, reflecting the idea of language as a form of migration. Each book has an 'ex libris' label so visitors can write their name inside ones that matter to them. Alongside the books hangs a quartet of de Waal's own vitrines, 'psalm, I-IV' (2019), holding pieces of porcelain, marble and steel. Their arrangements echo the composition of Daniel Bomberg's 16th-century edition of the Talmud (a central text of Judaism) printed in Venice and notable for holding the Hebrew text, Aramaic translation and commentary on a single page. Following its display at the British Museum, the books featured in the library of exile will be donated by the artist to the University of Mosul Library, with the kind participation of Book Aid International. Exhibition: British Museum, London, UK (dates TBD).
Foreword -- Acknowledgements -- My Homeland is Storyland / Elif Shafak -- The library in exile, exiled from the library / Hartwig Fischer -- Transcript of library wall text -- Lost libraries -- library of exile / Edmund de Waal -- Image credits.