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Rocio Quispe Agnoli, William J. Beal Distinguished Professor, Michigan State University

Peruvian writers tell of a future rooted in the past and contemporary societal issues

An artist's vision of a future underwater Lima, Peru, graces the cover of the short story collection 'Llaqtamasi.' Art by Juan Diego León via Pandemonium Editorial

The Aymara people of the Andean Highlands speak of “qhipa pacha,” a phrase that refers to the future as a direction one walks to backward. They believe in looking to the past as a way to understand what may come next.

Last year, 13 Peruvian writers launched the Qhipa Pacha Collective, a literary initiative which “aims to recover the memory of our original peoples to build possible worlds.” These writers imagine futures that reflect Peruvian ideas and concerns about their past and present.

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