La Vorágine
Encyclopedia
The Vortex is a novel
written in 1924 by the Colombian author José Eustasio Rivera
. It is set in the jungle
s of Colombia
during the Rubber boom
.
This novel relates the adventures of Arturo Cova, a hot-headed proud chauvinist and his lover Alicia, as they elope
from Bogotá
, through the flatlands and later, escaping from criminal misgivings, through the tropical jungles of Colombia.
In this way Rivera is able to describe the magic of these regions, with their rich biodiversity
, and the lifestyle of the inhabitants. However, one of the main objectives of the novel is to reveal the appalling conditions under which workers in the rubber
factories toil. La Vorágine also introduces the reader to the tremendous hardship of enduring the overwhelming and adverse environment of the rainforest, as the protagonist
s (Arturo Cova and Alicia) get lost and are unable to be found. As the book says: ¡Los devoró la selva! (literally, "The jungle devoured them!").
The novel is written in an elegant and refined prose
, full of metaphor
s and prosaic poetry, that shows the beauty and exotism of the virgin rainforest.
La Vorágine is noteworthy as the seminal novel of Latin American modernism, the "jungle novel", and recognised as one of the best novels written in Colombia.
English translation
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
written in 1924 by the Colombian author José Eustasio Rivera
José Eustasio Rivera
José Eustasio Rivera Salas was a Colombian lawyer and poet primarily known for his national epic The Vortex.-Early life:...
. It is set in the jungle
Jungle
A Jungle is an area of land in the tropics overgrown with dense vegetation.The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which referred to uncultivated land. Although the Sanskrit word refers to "dry land", it has been suggested that an Anglo-Indian interpretation led to its...
s of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
during the Rubber boom
Rubber boom
The rubber boom was an important part of the economic and social history of Brazil and Amazonian regions of neighboring countries, being related with the extraction and commercialization of rubber...
.
This novel relates the adventures of Arturo Cova, a hot-headed proud chauvinist and his lover Alicia, as they elope
Elope
To elope, most literally, merely means to run away with a girl and to not come back to the point of origination. More specifically, elopement is often used to refer to a marriage conducted in sudden and secretive fashion, usually involving hurried flight away from one's place of residence together...
from Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, through the flatlands and later, escaping from criminal misgivings, through the tropical jungles of Colombia.
In this way Rivera is able to describe the magic of these regions, with their rich biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
, and the lifestyle of the inhabitants. However, one of the main objectives of the novel is to reveal the appalling conditions under which workers in the rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
factories toil. La Vorágine also introduces the reader to the tremendous hardship of enduring the overwhelming and adverse environment of the rainforest, as the protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
s (Arturo Cova and Alicia) get lost and are unable to be found. As the book says: ¡Los devoró la selva! (literally, "The jungle devoured them!").
The novel is written in an elegant and refined prose
Prose
Prose is the most typical form of written language, applying ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure...
, full of metaphor
Metaphor
A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
s and prosaic poetry, that shows the beauty and exotism of the virgin rainforest.
La Vorágine is noteworthy as the seminal novel of Latin American modernism, the "jungle novel", and recognised as one of the best novels written in Colombia.
English translation
- Rivera, José Eustasio The Vortex. Earle K. James, translator (1928). Panamericana Editorial Ltda (2003). ISBN 9583008044