Uruguay-born adventurer Eduardo Rejduch de la Mancha, who travelled all over the world on a small sailboat for some 20 years and wrote a bestselling book about his adventures, will speak at York on Thursday.
In Hasta donde me lleve el viento (Wherever the Wind May Carry Me), Rejduch de la Mancha tells about his voyage to far-off islands and remote countries, as well as his encounters with various cultures, traditions and legends. The book became a bestseller in several countries, including Uruguay, Argentina and Spain and is now in its fourth edition.
In collaboration with the second edition launch of the student literary magazine Entre Voces, the evening will include a reading and talk in English translation by Rejduch de la Mancha, music and readings of creative writing by students. Presented by the Spanish Program in the Department of Languages, Literatures & Linguistics, the talk will take place Oct. 8, from 6:30 to 8:30pm, at 001 Accolade East Building, Keele campus.
Left: Eduardo Rejduch de la Mancha
York Spanish Professor Maria Figueredo calls Rejduch de la Mancha an engaging and dynamic speaker. He has presented his work around the world and his inspirational and culturally informative stories are not to be missed.
In his book, Rejduch de la Mancha writes, “The frontier that I crossed upon distancing myself from the shore, in a search to know what horizon I could reach and discover, without realizing, that I have fallen in love with the journey. I wasn’t writing poetry, I felt like I was living it.”
While he was in Uruguay, Rejduch de la Mancha studied architecture and medicine and engaged in student struggles against the military dictatorship. He was forced to leave following the military coup of 1973. He then settled in Uruapan, Mexico, for a couple of years before coming to Canada where he studied theatre.
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Right: Eduardo Rejduch de la Mancha sailing off the coast of Brazil
It was 1981 when Rejduch de la Mancha set sail from Toronto on an eight-metre sailboat called Charrúa, in search of a life of adventure and to escape an uncertain and premeditated future. He had no navigational skills and only a plastic sexton to guide him when he pushed off. What he found surprised him. His voyage became a magical and invisible circle of adventures and stories from various corners of the world, encompassing five continents and almost every major sea.
In 1984, during a quick return to Uruguay, he became the first solo Uruguayan navigator to cross the Atlantic.
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Left: Eduardo Rejduch de la Mancha in Polynesia
As the narrator of his own story, Rejduch de la Mancha weaves tales of passion, humour and irony in poetic and reflective commentary detailing the adventures he's experienced, as well as the many ancient and remote traditions and civilizations, legends and unknown ways of life that he found along the way.
The event was made possible through the support of the Office of the Dean, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies; the Department of Languages, Literatures & Linguistics; and the Consul General of Uruguay in Toronto, Fernando López Fabregat.
For more information, contact Maria Figueredo at mfiguere@yorku.ca.