''The Vortex'' ( es, La Vorágine) is a

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

written in 1924 by the Colombian author

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

. 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 Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

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 Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...

, through the eastern plains and later, escaping from criminal misgivings, through the amazon

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

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, and ...

factories experience. ''La Vorágine'' also introduces the reader to the tremendous hardship of enduring the overwhelming and adverse environment of the rainforest, as the

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

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 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 f ...

, 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 wit ...

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