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Small Earthquakes: A Journey Through Lost British History in South America
Small Earthquakes uncovers the fascinating story of Britain's forgotten connections with South America, from the Atacama Desert to Tierra del Fuego, Easter Island to South Georgia.
Blending travel writing, history and reportage, award-winning journalist and author Shafik Meghji tells a tale of footballers and pirates, nitrate kings and wool barons, polar explorers and cowboys, missionaries and radical MPs. From a ghost town in one of the world's driest deserts to a far-flung ranch in the sub-polar tundra; rusting whaling stations in the South Atlantic to an isolated railway built by convicts; the southernmost city on the planet to a crumbling port known as the 'Jewel of the Pacific', he brings to life the past, present and future of this remarkable continent. He sheds light on Britain's impact on Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, from sparking wars, forging national identities and redrawing borders to its tangled role in their colonisation and decolonisation. But it also reveals how these countries, in turn, have shaped Britain in profound and unexpected ways, from Fray Bentos to the Falklands.
Drawing on more than fifteen years of living, working and travelling in South America, Meghji offers a sweeping account of an overlooked--but enduringly relevant--shared history.
Blending travel writing, history and reportage, award-winning journalist and author Shafik Meghji tells a tale of footballers and pirates, nitrate kings and wool barons, polar explorers and cowboys, missionaries and radical MPs. From a ghost town in one of the world's driest deserts to a far-flung ranch in the sub-polar tundra; rusting whaling stations in the South Atlantic to an isolated railway built by convicts; the southernmost city on the planet to a crumbling port known as the 'Jewel of the Pacific', he brings to life the past, present and future of this remarkable continent. He sheds light on Britain's impact on Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, from sparking wars, forging national identities and redrawing borders to its tangled role in their colonisation and decolonisation. But it also reveals how these countries, in turn, have shaped Britain in profound and unexpected ways, from Fray Bentos to the Falklands.
Drawing on more than fifteen years of living, working and travelling in South America, Meghji offers a sweeping account of an overlooked--but enduringly relevant--shared history.
- GenresNonfictionTravelHistory
294 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 24, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 8, 2025
I guess it says a lot about me that I am most fascinated reading about places where there are not a lot of people. This played out exactly as expected when I read Shafik Meghji's Small Earthquakes.
Meghji looks at the legacy of British interventions (which is putting it lightly in some cases) in South America. I should clarify that the author mostly focuses on the southern parts of South America such as Argentina, Uruguay, Tierra del Fuego, South Georgia, Easter Island (Rapa Nui), and portions of Chile. It is part travelogue and part history in what becomes a very enjoyable read.
Back to my personality fault (superpower?). While the whole book was a fun and informative read, not all sections were equal. I found the beginning chapters a bit slower as Meghji spends some time in the more populated areas and focuses on random historical buildings while telling stories. For me, once the author gets to the chapters like South Georgia is where the book fully takes off. The stories are a bit more focused and the travelogue becomes much more informative about what type of place Meghji is traveling to.
Basically, you should pick this one up, and give the narrative a little time to pull you in.
(This book was provided as an advanced reader copy by the author.)
Meghji looks at the legacy of British interventions (which is putting it lightly in some cases) in South America. I should clarify that the author mostly focuses on the southern parts of South America such as Argentina, Uruguay, Tierra del Fuego, South Georgia, Easter Island (Rapa Nui), and portions of Chile. It is part travelogue and part history in what becomes a very enjoyable read.
Back to my personality fault (superpower?). While the whole book was a fun and informative read, not all sections were equal. I found the beginning chapters a bit slower as Meghji spends some time in the more populated areas and focuses on random historical buildings while telling stories. For me, once the author gets to the chapters like South Georgia is where the book fully takes off. The stories are a bit more focused and the travelogue becomes much more informative about what type of place Meghji is traveling to.
Basically, you should pick this one up, and give the narrative a little time to pull you in.
(This book was provided as an advanced reader copy by the author.)
September 15, 2025
Meghji is a travel writer for Rough Guides, and here presents some highlights of his careful research on British influence and historical presence, in Latin America. British links to Asia and Africa are more visible. Britain helped launch the United States of America, but its associations to the south are less known. The book's title, comes from the winner of a 1920s Fleet Street ‘dullest headline’ competition, Small Earthquake in Chile. Not Many Dead. ‘The phrase characterises a certain British attitude to South America,’ he writes, ‘a distant place of little relevance.’
The focus of his writing is the continent’s Southern Cone, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay, where British presence, predominantly in the 19th and 20th centuries, was particularly felt. Having lived and worked in Chile for 5 years (2007-11) I was familiar with some, not all, of Meghji's topics, but found his writing to be extremely readable, hitting that fine balancing act in respecting the reader's previous knowledge, and yet not overloading them with facts.
In Bolivia he encounters the strange sight of a graveyard of British constructed trains on the edge of the world’s largest salt flat. In southern Brazil he visits a town constructed by a British railway company. But its in Argentina and Chile where his compelling material is found. From the Falklands and South Gerogia, to Tierra del Fuego and the Atacama, he travels and relates his experiences and his meetings with local people with the skill of the best travel writers - from polar explorers to the voyages of Fitzroy, to the dubious ties with the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.
This is a high quality piece of travel writing, and elevates its author's status from the realms of guide books to something much more entertaining to the armchair traveller.
The focus of his writing is the continent’s Southern Cone, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay, where British presence, predominantly in the 19th and 20th centuries, was particularly felt. Having lived and worked in Chile for 5 years (2007-11) I was familiar with some, not all, of Meghji's topics, but found his writing to be extremely readable, hitting that fine balancing act in respecting the reader's previous knowledge, and yet not overloading them with facts.
In Bolivia he encounters the strange sight of a graveyard of British constructed trains on the edge of the world’s largest salt flat. In southern Brazil he visits a town constructed by a British railway company. But its in Argentina and Chile where his compelling material is found. From the Falklands and South Gerogia, to Tierra del Fuego and the Atacama, he travels and relates his experiences and his meetings with local people with the skill of the best travel writers - from polar explorers to the voyages of Fitzroy, to the dubious ties with the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.
This is a high quality piece of travel writing, and elevates its author's status from the realms of guide books to something much more entertaining to the armchair traveller.
July 6, 2025
I loved this book from start to finish. Shafik writes so well and uncovers so much of the hidden histories from the Southern Cone. As someone who is based in Latin America, I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone considering investigating more about the region or planning on visiting. It's entertaining and fascinating.
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November 28, 2025Small Earthquakes, AJourney Through Lost British History in South America
Shafik Meghji's new book, Small Earthquakes; A journey through Lost British History in South America, is an extensive look at the history of Britain and its interaction with three major countries in South America: Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. The story takes you on a journey through a time when the British Empire dominated much of the world including South America. From sheep farming to meat export, the Heroic Age of Antarctic discovery to whaling, and the introduction of the sports of football and cricket, the impact has been monumental. It all begins incongruously with Shafik's visit to the historic Sewage Works in Buenos Aires known as the Palace of Running Waters (Palacio del Aguas Corrientes). The buikding was finished in 1894 and was originally a water pumping station. Now, it houses offices and even a museum. It is more on the order of a majestic museum or Manor House than anything to do with sanitarion. This is just one of the many tales that make up this fascinating read. Enjoy!
Shafik Meghji's new book, Small Earthquakes; A journey through Lost British History in South America, is an extensive look at the history of Britain and its interaction with three major countries in South America: Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. The story takes you on a journey through a time when the British Empire dominated much of the world including South America. From sheep farming to meat export, the Heroic Age of Antarctic discovery to whaling, and the introduction of the sports of football and cricket, the impact has been monumental. It all begins incongruously with Shafik's visit to the historic Sewage Works in Buenos Aires known as the Palace of Running Waters (Palacio del Aguas Corrientes). The buikding was finished in 1894 and was originally a water pumping station. Now, it houses offices and even a museum. It is more on the order of a majestic museum or Manor House than anything to do with sanitarion. This is just one of the many tales that make up this fascinating read. Enjoy!
October 16, 2025
A very enjoyable travel / history book - I've read a few good books about Latin American history (Patria by Laurence Blair earlier this year to name one) but Shafik has a good fresh angle on it and gets the balance between information, analysis, reflection and anecdote spot on.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews