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4.0 

Magdalena

By Wade Davis
Magdalena by Wade Davis digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

A captivating new book from Wade Davis--award-winning, best-selling author and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence for more than a decade--that brings vividly to life the story of the great Río Magdalena, illuminating Colombia's complex past, present, and future

Travelers often become enchanted with the first country that captures their hearts and gives them license to be free. For Wade Davis, it was Colombia. Now in a masterly new book, Davis tells of his travels on the mighty Magdalena, the river that made possible the nation. Along the way, he finds a people who have overcome years of conflict precisely because of their character, informed by an enduring spirit of place, and a deep love of a land that is home to the greatest ecological and geographical diversity on the planet. As Gabriel García Márquez once wrote during his own pilgrimage on the river: "The only reason I would like to be young again would be the chance to travel again on a freighter going up the Magdalena." Only in Colombia can a traveler wash ashore in a coastal desert, follow waterways through wetlands as wide as the sky, ascend narrow tracks through dense tropical forests, and reach verdant Andean valleys rising to soaring ice-clad summits. This rugged and impossible geography finds its perfect coefficient in the topography of the Colombian spirit: restive, potent, at times placid and calm, in moments explosive and wild.

Both a corridor of commerce and a fountain of culture, the wellspring of Colombian music, literature, poetry, and prayer, the Magdalena has served in dark times as the graveyard of the nation. And yet, always, it returns as a river of life.

At once an absorbing adventure and an inspiring tale of hope and redemption, Magdalena gives us a rare, kaleidoscopic picture of a nation on the verge of a new period of peace. Braiding together memoir, history, and journalism, Wade Davis tells the story of the country's most magnificent river, and in doing so, tells the epic story of Colombia.

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18 Reviews

4.0
“This was an extraordinary journey into the heart of Colombia, where nature, history, and culture intertwine along the majestic Magdalena River. Davis paints a vivid picture of the river’s significance, not just as a geographical feature but as a living, breathing entity that has shaped the country’s soul. His deep knowledge and passion for the region shine through in every chapter, weaving together tales of beauty, tragedy, resilience, and hope. From its indigenous roots to modern struggles, the book offers a sweeping narrative that is both educational and profoundly moving. Davis' eloquent prose brings the river and its people to life in a way that is unforgettable and easily stands with the likes of RL Parry and Peter Hessler in my list of favorite travel writers.”
“The worst thing I can say about this book is that Davis writes and travels like a privileged white man bent on waxing lyrical about an exotic land. That, however, is a fault I’m willing to overlook given how well he has written here, tying threads as disparate as environment and ecology, history and politics, and wealth and poverty, into one vivid and comprehensive portrait of Colombia. Would highly recommend to anyone wanting to learn more about a place that we only otherwise hear of through Narcos, Marquez, and Shakira.”

About Wade Davis

WADE DAVIS is the author of twenty books, including One River, The Wayfinders, and Into the Silence, which won the 2012 Samuel Johnson prize, the top award for literary nonfiction in the English language. Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society from 1999 to 2013, he is currently Professor of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. In 2016, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada. In 2018 he became an Honorary Citizen of Colombia.

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