An exhilarating travelogue for a new generation by a protege of
John McPhee ("A born journalist") and Pico Iyer ("A writer, a traveler—a
virtuoso—of rare talent and energy") about a journey along Colombia’s
Magdalena River, exploring life by the banks of a majestic river now at
risk, and how a country recovers from conflict.
An
American writer of Argentine, Syrian, and Iraqi Jewish descent, Jordan
Salama tells the story of the Rio Magdalena, nearly one thousand miles
long, the heart of Colombia. This is Gabriel García Márquez’s
territory—rumor has it Macondo was partly inspired by the port town of
Mompox—as much as that of the Middle Eastern immigrants who run fabric
stores by its banks.
Following the river from its source high in
the Andes to its mouth on the Caribbean coast, journeying by boat, bus,
and improvised motobalinera, Salama writes against stereotype and
toward the rich lives of those he meets. Among them are a canoe builder,
biologists who study invasive hippopotamuses, a Queens transplant
managing a failing hotel, a jeweler practicing the art of silver
filigree, and a traveling librarian whose donkeys, Alfa and Beto, haul
books to rural children.
Joy, mourning, and humor come together
in this astonishing debut, travel writing about a country too often seen
as only a site of war, and a tale of lively adventure following a
legendary river.
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