Geotagging Literature: Senghor on the Rocks

Christoph Benda’s first novel has already broken new ground with its use of Google maps.  Senghor on the Rocks tells the story of Austrian camera assistant arriving in the Senegalese capital of Dakar.  Readers are taken on a verbal and visual journey, the location changing with the story using updated satellite view Google maps.  The book (in German), was originally written from 2002 to 2005, and was later adapted for the latest geo-novel edition.  Based on his time spent in Senegal, Benda’s collaborative partner on the project, Florian Ledermann explains the project:

We wanted to add something to the story that helps readers – especially as the story is set in an unfamiliar environment – to envision the mood of the story without illustrating it.

The satellite images provided by Google Maps do not constrain the reader’s imagination but are capable of actually triggering imagination by giving a rough impression without too much detail.

Sydney Morning Herald: Google Maps hack turns book into geo-novel