Author:
Salama, Jordan.
Imprint:New York : Catapult, 2021
Physical Descriptionvi, 217 pages : maps ; 21 cm
Note:Introduction -- Part one: Upper Magdalena. The legend of Don~a Juana -- Rumors of the Magdalena -- The Mohan -- River of gold -- Part two: Magdalena medio. The hippopotamuses of Pablo Escobar -- Four days in Estacion Cocorna -- No name -- Hostage of the Magdalena -- Six hours by river -- Part three: Lower Magdalena. The master jeweler -- Biblioburro -- Mouths of ash.
Note:"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 Garcia Marquez'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, about a country too often seen as only a site of war, and a tale of lively adventure following a legendary river." --dust jacket.
