Seven essential books about Colombia

So, you've heard the stories and you're inspired to travel to the incredible land of Colombia. The country has a diverse and important artistic history in many areas, and literature is one of them.

So, what should you read before, or while travelling in Colombia? The list could be nearly endless, but I’ve whittled my list down to seven books that I believe are essential to enabling a deeper understanding of this complex land, society and culture. I hope you find what you're looking for and I welcome suggestions if you feel I’ve missed something important to the literary canon of Colombia.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Marquez

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Any guide to Colombia's most important literature would be amiss to omit Gabriel García Marquez's reality shattering masterpiece - One Hundred Years of Solitude. First published in 1967, the novel tells the story of a large, multigenerational family and is recognised as one of the seminal works of literature in any language. Commonly at, or near, the top of "greatest novels of all time", the book won its author the Nobel Prize for Literature.

There are so many things to say about this novel, but the primary reason you should read it either before or while you travel in Colombia is because of the spellbinding manner in which the story represents ‘magical realism’. This concept is definitely felt more acutely by those lucky enough to experience life in Colombia's bewilderingly beautiful countryside.

From the founding of the mythical town of Macondo - said to be based on Santa Cruz de Mompox - the novel provides a number of cultural and historical references and analogies. The twists and turns of the tale - threaded with masterful authorship - paint a wonderful picture of a beautiful, soulful and magical country that is also complex, tragic and, at times, dark.

Delirium by Laura Restrepo‍

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Fast forward to more recent times. In “Delirium” - published as “Delirio” in Spanish - Laura Restrepo paints a startlingly realistic picture of the raging drug war taking place in 1980's Bogota. This mystery novel follows the story of the protagonist, Aguilar, an ex-English teacher turned dog food salesman. Throughout the novel, he is searching through his wife Augustina's past in an attempt to understand what happened to her while he was away travelling for business, and why she has lost her sanity.

Published in 2004, this tender novel follows Aguilar tracing not just through Augustina's past but also that of Colombia. Although a fictional story, Restrepo shows how the violence of that decade, as well as the last century and more, still affects the present day nation.‍

Bolivar: American Liberator by Marie Arana‍

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Anyone visiting South America should read up on Simón Bolívar, the greatest of the great liberators of the continent. In this book, Marie Arana tells the chequered story of how Bolívar liberated the modern day nations of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Perú, Ecuador and Bolivia, after whom the country is named.

Born in Caracas, the modern day capital city of Venezuela, in 1783, Bolívar's story is a very good way to understand the complex birth of nationhood in this part of Latin America, as well as the trials and tribulations that led to the emergence of the modern republics that exist today. The history of his struggles for independence from Spanish rule, also provide important context to the following two hundred years of history.

Reading about Bolívar also offers prospective travellers a fascinating insight into the role of enlightenment thinking, internal politics and personal circumstances can influence the great movements of history. The death of this great man, and how his memory and legend have been used ever since, again enable us today to see some of the critical ways Colombia and other countries in South America have evolved.

Live Forever by Andrés Caicedo‍

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Andrés Caicedo is a Colombian writer born in the country's beating heart of music and dance, Cali, where this novel is set. Famous for its vibrant culture, nightlife and salsa, the city also sets the scene for this novel, where its main character, Carmena, ascends into a life of hedonism amidst the power of music. A woman of high society, Carmena is, despite her privilege and wealth, tired of her protected life and this story follows her adventure into the night.

This is a story about culture, music and experience, yes, but also about class, and it is an acute observation of Colombia's deeply hierarchical social makeup, as well as a touching story of coming of age as a young woman in Latin America.

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Marquez

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The late Gabriel Garcia Marquez is one of Colombia’s national treasures. In ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’ he captures the essence of the country’s Caribbean coast. Set in the turn of the 20th century, the backdrop is an impassioned love story of a man who, in his old age, chases an unrequited love from his adolescent-past. Though the actual city where the story takes place is fictional, it bears a lot of resemblance to the colourful, colonial city of Cartagena.

There are further similarities with the historic port city of Barranquilla. Before you visit these old cities, be sure to read ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’. You will be transported to the region’s rich and bustling past. Marquez helps the reader understand the ins and outs of the coastal region and the lives of its previous inhabitants.

The Latin American Trilogy by Louis de Bernières

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Magical, surrealist and brilliantly funny, Louis de Berniéres early trilogy of novels are set in an unnamed Latin American country. However, having lived in Colombia there as a young man, and clearly leaning on Marquez for much of its literary inspiration, we can be pretty sure these novels are set in Colombia. The hilarious titles of these novels point to some of their puzzlingly beautiful stories, the colour of their characters and the bewildering imagery surely found only in Colombia.

The three titles, in the order they were written, are as follows: The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts (1990), Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord (1991), Cardinal Guzman and His Troublesome Offspring (1992). However, the order in which they are read is not especially important.

The Autumn of the Patriarch by Gabriel García Marquez

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Possibly no man or woman in Colombian history has shaped the country more than the nation's liberator from the Spanish, Simon Bolivar. Bolivar is everywhere in Colombia, as he is in Venezuela, Ecuador, Perú and Bolivia, and his influence - and the influence of his image - runs deeply through the many cultures that make up this part of the world.

Gabriel García Marquez's short novel "The Autumn of the Patriarch" charts the last couple of weeks of the "Liberator's" life, as he travels towards the Caribbean coast on the mighty Rio Magdelena. It's a fascinating account by one of the world's greatest storytellers as well as an account of a single man's life. That man's life, however, tells more about the history and identity of Colombia than anyone else in history.

For a relatively short read this is a wonderful book and is a great way to learn a little about Colombia's history as the nation was coming into being.