La vorßgine/ The Vortex

English edition: THE VORTEX, by Eustacio Rivera [Duke University Press, 4/12/2018]

Honor, violence, disaster, and the tumultuous battle a man must overcome in order to survive all mix into this captivating Latin American classic.

Lovers Arturo Cova and Alicia escape society in search of their freedom. But Alicia's rapture will take Arturo on a journey through "green hell" in the Amazon rainforest. This poet from Bogota immerses himself in a desolate, unpredictable pilgrimage into the roots of nature and life. Through his journey, Rivera subtly introduces the reader to the ghosts of time and the hidden fibers that make up the human condition.

Rubber fever, exploitation, violence and madness are all explored in this Colombian classic set at the beginning of the 1900's. However, this novel is not only a literary masterpiece, it is also a heavy social critique and political commentary, delicately wrapped in sensible prose.