Michi Strausfeld reminds Europeans of the reasons why they once longed for Latin America

When Michi Strausfeld first came to Lima, Latin America, in her early twenties, she had no idea how fascinating this continent would become for her. For decades, she worked as a literary scholar and editor, popularizing the culture of these countries in German-speaking countries.

The fact that interest in authors from Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay grew steadily in the 1970s and 1980s, and that some of them stormed the bestseller lists with their books, was often thanks to Michi Strausfeld's intuition and commitment.

But since the fall of the Berlin Wall, general knowledge of Latin American culture has become increasingly sparse. Disappointed by this, Strausfeld embarks on a "journey through five centuries" in "The Empress of Galapagos," telling stories of natural scientists, gamblers, gold prospectors, and persecuted people who turned their backs on Europe.

Strausfeld begins with the early 16th century. The author traces the diverse motifs that focused attention on a continent that was, for many, completely foreign. There are powerful travel accounts that expanded knowledge while simultaneously cementing prejudices; the Welser and Fugger banking houses exerted influence; Maria Sibylla Merian broke into the male phalanx of explorers and conducted fieldwork in the tropical jungle; and, above all, there is the polymath Alexander von Humboldt, whose account of his five-year journey through Latin America from 1799 to 1804 was circulated around the world.

Humboldt's analysis of colonialism and his condemnation of slavery were ahead of their time and demonstrate the importance of arguing on an empirical basis – unlike Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, whose statements about America, according to Humboldt, asserted "purely false facts and views."

Michi Strausfeld's book is a treasure trove of names and episodes. It does not fail to mention how many persecuted people found refuge from European fascism in Latin America in the 20th century, and at the same time, it recounts how National Socialism was honored early on in German-speaking communities there, and how frighteningly easy it was for Nazi murderers to live virtually unchallenged in Latin America after 1945. Josef Mengele is certainly the best-known example.

In addition to those who found a new home in Latin America as politically or religiously persecuted refugees, there were always adventurers who wanted to realize their dreams far away. Such as stroller manufacturer Carlos Gesell, who acquired cheap dune land south of Buenos Aires in the early 1930s and wanted to develop a city with alternative lifestyles. The seaside resort of Villa Gesell is now visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists every year.

What happened almost simultaneously on the Galapagos Islands caused even more of a stir. The German physician Friedrich Ritter and his companion Dore Strauch, disillusioned with civilization, wanted to create a paradise on the island of Floreana. They soon attracted curious visitors, among them the Austrian con artist Eloise Wagner de Bousquet, who declared herself Empress of the Galapagos.

What followed were adventurous confusions involving missing corpses, shipwrecked survivors, and mysterious poisonings blamed on a rotten chicken. The story captivated the press worldwide and inspired numerous novelists and directors to explore this "affair" artistically.

With her sometimes serious, sometimes whimsical stories, Michi Strausfeld recalls the resonance Latin America once had in this country. And her worthwhile book ends with the hope that current ignorance may not be the last word.

Michi Strausfeld: The Empress of Galapagos. German Adventures in Latin America. Berenberg-Verlag, Berlin 2025. 264 pp., Fr. 36.90.