Aqua: A Story of Water and Lost Dreams

Price
$29.00
Available for Pre-Order
  • Aqua: A Story of Water and Lost Dreams by Chiara Barzini

A hybrid of memoir, travel and cultural history that explores how water altered LA and the history of film.

In 1913, William Mulholland finished building the Los Angeles Aqueduct - a 233-mile engineering masterwork transporting water from the Owens Valley, across the desert, to a barren corner of California that would become the home of filmmaking. Over one hundred years later, award-winning Italian author and filmmaker Chiara Barzini traces the geography of the aqueduct, from its source, across the desert, to the city that it helped into existence, all while reckoning with her personal history with the landscape.

From the 'fake' waters of the Universal Studios Jaws attraction to Salton Sea - California's largest lake and 'the only man-made mistake visible from space' - Aqua explores how water, and its absence, shaped both a modern landscape and the history of film. A blend of travel writing, philosophy, cultural history and memoir, Aqua is a hugely entertaining and wide-ranging exploration of water, film, dreams versus reality and an empire on the brink of catastrophe.

'Outrageously good ... An unforgettable book' - OLIVIA LAING

'Reverie and road-trip, Aqua succeeds in turning the Cadillac Desert and Land of Little Rain into something lush and unexpected ... Chiara Barzini ducts and dives through a wonderful and revelatory journey' - GEOFF DYER

Aqua: A Story of Water and Lost Dreams
$29.00
Available for Pre-Order
Description

A hybrid of memoir, travel and cultural history that explores how water altered LA and the history of film.

In 1913, William Mulholland finished building the Los Angeles Aqueduct - a 233-mile engineering masterwork transporting water from the Owens Valley, across the desert, to a barren corner of California that would become the home of filmmaking. Over one hundred years later, award-winning Italian author and filmmaker Chiara Barzini traces the geography of the aqueduct, from its source, across the desert, to the city that it helped into existence, all while reckoning with her personal history with the landscape.

From the 'fake' waters of the Universal Studios Jaws attraction to Salton Sea - California's largest lake and 'the only man-made mistake visible from space' - Aqua explores how water, and its absence, shaped both a modern landscape and the history of film. A blend of travel writing, philosophy, cultural history and memoir, Aqua is a hugely entertaining and wide-ranging exploration of water, film, dreams versus reality and an empire on the brink of catastrophe.

'Outrageously good ... An unforgettable book' - OLIVIA LAING

'Reverie and road-trip, Aqua succeeds in turning the Cadillac Desert and Land of Little Rain into something lush and unexpected ... Chiara Barzini ducts and dives through a wonderful and revelatory journey' - GEOFF DYER

Description

A hybrid of memoir, travel and cultural history that explores how water altered LA and the history of film.

In 1913, William Mulholland finished building the Los Angeles Aqueduct - a 233-mile engineering masterwork transporting water from the Owens Valley, across the desert, to a barren corner of California that would become the home of filmmaking. Over one hundred years later, award-winning Italian author and filmmaker Chiara Barzini traces the geography of the aqueduct, from its source, across the desert, to the city that it helped into existence, all while reckoning with her personal history with the landscape.

From the 'fake' waters of the Universal Studios Jaws attraction to Salton Sea - California's largest lake and 'the only man-made mistake visible from space' - Aqua explores how water, and its absence, shaped both a modern landscape and the history of film. A blend of travel writing, philosophy, cultural history and memoir, Aqua is a hugely entertaining and wide-ranging exploration of water, film, dreams versus reality and an empire on the brink of catastrophe.

'Outrageously good ... An unforgettable book' - OLIVIA LAING

'Reverie and road-trip, Aqua succeeds in turning the Cadillac Desert and Land of Little Rain into something lush and unexpected ... Chiara Barzini ducts and dives through a wonderful and revelatory journey' - GEOFF DYER

ISBN
9781961884908
Publisher
Publication Date
April 14, 2026
Binding
Hardcover
Item Condition
New
Language
English
Pages
250
Keywords
Biography & Autobiography | Cultural & Regional; Travel | General; Biography & Autobiography | Memoirs; Art | Environmental & Land Art

Discover other titles from CHIARA BARZINI