Livingston Unfound by Mara Benetti

Horizons teacher Mara Benetti takes on the ever-relevant dilemma of the ethics of travel in a world divided by inequality.

On 28th August, Mara Benetti's debut novel, Livingston Unfound will be published by The Book Guild. 

Livingston Unfound by Mara Benetti

About the Book

A reference to the village on the Atlantic coast of Guatemala, Livingston Unfound is set in a turbulent time in history and charts the journey of Monica, travelling alone and confronting the clash between her own privilege and the poverty and repression around her. Striving to build relationships across the divides of class, race and culture, Monica experiences the conflicts that come with being a traveller far from home.

Although a work of fiction, Livingston Unfound draws upon Mara Benetti's own experiences living in Guatemala and Central America. 

“In the mid-Eighties, I spent two years in Central America" says Mara. "The experience changed me profoundly, determining many of the decisions I took later in life. Above all, it made me question the ethics of travel in a world divided by inequality, and also strive for a more empathetic way of exploring distant places and realities.”

About Mara Benetti

Mara is a teacher of Italian for Imperial Horizons and on the CLCC Adult Education (Evening Classes) programme. She also taught a practical translation module as part of the Imperial MSc in Medical, Scientific and Technical Translation.

Mara has a degree in Latin American Studies (Essex University) and an MA in Social Anthropology (Goldsmiths College). She has taught languages - Italian as well as English and Spanish - for over thirty years.

The author of two textbooks, Italian 1 and 2 Palgrave Foundations, Mara is also co-translator (Italian to English) of Woman at War by renowned Italian author Dacia Maraini. Her translation of Gospel According to Mary, a fiction novel by Barbara Alberti, is awaiting publication. Livingston Unfound is her first novel.

Pre-order Livingston Unfound from The Book Guild