The Voyage of the Pleiades: Chile

This month I am pleased to share with you an excerpt from the novel. In the previous newsletter we had a glimpse into the era of natural history exploration that is the setting for the book, as well as a comparison of my portrayal of my protagonist with her contemporary (actual) female natural historians. Now I get to share the best part about writing fiction, re-writing history to suit your characters. In order to do this in a way I felt was convincing, the world and the details that surrounds my characters has been heavily researched, and is as close to factual as I could make it. Next month, I will share more details about the ship I patterned The Cormorant on, and in future months I hope to continue to share the fascinating facts that have helped me shape Linnea's world. On to the story! As you can tell from this excerpt, the book is told from Linnea's perspective and it is her voice that welcomes us to the port of Valparaíso in 1886. 

Voyage of the Pleiades Chapter Excerpt: Arrival in Valparaíso 

by Amy Turner

18 May 1886

Valparaíso, Chile

Once when I was in the rainforests of Brazil, I ventured away from my travel companions and spent the night in a hammock among the towering ficus. I slept one of the deepest sleeps of my life and I was hovering in that dream world when I was ripped from slumber by the sound of two warring troops of howler monkeys vying to be the loudest to welcome the sunrise. Their guttural, ear-splitting calls vibrated the forest and the air. The very fabric of reality had been torn apart by their territorial concert. Arriving at the port of Valparaíso after many weeks at sea shared similarities with that morning both in volume and in chimeric chaos.

The gentle hills that rose from the port of Valparaíso appeared not quite up to the task of containing the bustling fervor of the city. All manner of structures were strung from the center of town to the tops of the hills, from the clock tower that anchored the plaza centrale, rising to colorful European influenced houses on up to glorified shacks that clung to the hillside. As we crept closer to the port, the moving masses of people that resembled armies of ants from a distance, coalesced into individuals. The successful export of saltpeter from Valparaíso had built the port and attracted people to abandon rural living and seek success in the city. There was a vein of constant yearning under the machinations of those that exploited and were exploited, everyone reaching for something beyond basic survival. I gripped the rail and braced myself for the onslaught of wonder that was Valparaíso.

Chilean Independence and the Port of Valparíaso

Chilean independence from Spain was not easily won and though independence was declared on February 12, 1818, it was some years before it was secured. Chiloé Island, where the majority of Voyage of the Pleiades takes place, was one of the last Spanish strongholds and was finally claimed by Chile in 1826. The new country made the establishment of an international port and a navy at Valparaíso a priority in the first years of independence. As a result, Valparaíso became a major stopping port for ships traveling around the Horn and through the Strait of Magellan, the outbound ships were loaded with copper and for a time, the highly sought over saltpeter or guano (see the side notes for links about the guano wars).

By the time my characters travel to Valparaíso, the port was beginning to decline in importance. The lack of demand for saltpeter in the late 19th century meant that Chile had to rely on their other exports. The opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 drew much of the remaining trade traffic away from the port. Of course, this sliver of time is only a small blip in the life of the vibrant city. Valparaíso today is every bit as a the colorful, stimulating place as when Linnea visited in 1886. Despite devastating earthquakes and fires, the city cannot be contained by the hillsides, houses drape across the coastal foothills, rising from the port to the flanks of the mountains. The funiculars that were built in the 19th and early 20th century continue to transport people up the steep slopes of the city. Pablo Neruda home, La Sebastiana, which is now a museum, is in one of the many neighborhoods that perch high above the port. Neruda penned a poem about Valparaíso that I think perfectly captures its vital and complex energy. The English translation is over in the sidebar, but I suggest listening to it in Spanish while touring the streets of Valparaíso.

The modern neighborhoods of Valparaiso.

The islands off the coast of Chile are abundant with seabirds (and their poop). 

Further Reading

Enjoyed this newsletter? Interested in learning more about the guano wars and Valparaíso, Chile? Here are some links worth following. 

When the Western World Ran on Guano

La Sebastiana Museum House

UNESCO Historic Quarter of Valparaíso
Ode To ValparaísoBy Pablo NerudaTranslated by: Laney Sullivan

What nonsense
You are
What a crazy
Insane Port.
Your mounded head
Disheveled
You never finish combing your hair
Life has always surprised you
Death woke you
In your undershirt and long underwear
Fringed with color
Naked
With a name tattooed on the stomach
And with a cap
The earthquake grabbed you
You ran
Mad
Broke your fingernails
It moved
The waters and the stones
Sidewalks
And seas
The night,
You would sleep
In the ground
Tired
From your sailing
And the furious earth
Lifted its waves
More stormy
Than a tempest
The dust
Covered you
The eyes
The flames
Burned your shoes
The solid
Houses of bankers
Trembled
Like wounded whales
While above
The houses of the poor
Leapt
Into nothingness
Like captive birds
Testing their wings
CollapseQuickly
Valparaiso,
Sailor,
You forget
the tears
and you return
to hanging your dwellings
to paint doors
green
Windows
Yellow,
Everything
You transform into a boat
Your are
The patched bow
Of a small
Courageous
Ship
The crowns nest
With foam
Your rope lines that sing
And the light of the ocean
That shakes the masts
And flags
In your indestructible swayingDark star
You are
From far away
In the height of the coast
Shining
And soon
You surrender
Your hidden fire
The rocking
Of your deaf alleys
The naturalness
Of your movement
The clarity
Of your seamanship
Here ends this odeValparaiso
So small
Like a cloth
Helpless
Hanging
Ragged in a Window
Swaying
In the Wind
of the ocean
Impregnated
With all the pain
Of your ground
Receiving
The dew
Of the sea, the kiss
Of the wild angry sea
That with all of its power
Beat the rocks
It could not
Knock you down
Because on your southern chest
Is tattooed
The struggle
The hope
The solidarity
And the joy
As anchors
Resisting
The waves of the earth.

Book Update

The Voyage of the Pleiades is going through final revisions and making the rounds with test readers. We are hoping for a publication date early in 2021. 

Next time....

In the next newsletter, an excerpt from the novel, ship life aboard The Cormorant, a glimpse of a sea voyage in the late 19th century.  

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