''The Vortex'' ( es, La Vorágine) is a novel written in 1924 by the Colombian author

José Eustasio Rivera José Eustasio Rivera Salas (February 19, 1888 – December 1, 1928) was a Colombian lawyer and author primarily known for his national epic ''The Vortex''. Early life José Eustasio Rivera was born on February 19, 1888 in Aguas Calientes, a ha ...

. It is set in at least three different

bioregion A bioregion is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a biogeographic realm, but larger than an ecoregion or an ecosystem, in the World Wide Fund for Nature classification scheme. There is also an attempt to use the ...

s of Colombia during the

rubber boom The Amazon rubber boom ( pt, Ciclo da borracha, ; es, Fiebre del caucho, , 1879 to 1912) was an important part of the economic and social history of Brazil and Amazonian regions of neighboring countries, being related to the extraction and comm ...

. This novel narrates the adventures of Arturo Cova, a hot-headed proud chauvinist and his lover Alicia, as they

elope Elopement is a term that is used in reference to a marriage which is conducted in a sudden and secretive fashion, usually involving a hurried flight away from one's place of residence together with one's beloved with the intention of getting ma ...

from Bogotá, through the eastern plains and later, escaping from criminal misgivings, through the amazon rainforest of Colombia. In this way Rivera is able to describe the magic of these regions, with their rich

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

, and the lifestyle of the inhabitants. However, one of the main objectives of the novel is to reveal the appalling conditions that workers in the

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, an ...

factories experience. ''La Vorágine'' also introduces the reader to the tremendous hardship of enduring the overwhelming and adverse environment of the rainforest, as the protagonists (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 is a form of written or spoken language that follows the natural flow of speech, uses a language's ordinary grammatical structures, or follows the conventions of formal academic writing. It differs from most traditional poetry, where the ...

, full of

metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wi ...

s and prosaic poetry, that shows the beauty and exoticism of the virgin rainforest. ''La Vorágine'' is noteworthy as the seminal novel of Latin American regionalism, 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 Ltd (2003). . 1924 novels Spanish-language books Colombian novels Novels set in Colombia Colombian novels adapted into films {{1920s-novel-stub