The Most Influential Colombian Novel Before Gabriel Garca Mrquez.times Literary Supplementa New Translation Of A Latin American Classic, Jos Eustasio Rivera''s The Vortex Follows The Young Poet Arturo Cova And His Lover, Alicia, As They Elope From Bogot And Embark On An Adventure Through Colombia''s Varied And Magical Landscapes. When Aliciapregnant, Jealous, And More Than A Little Fed Updisappears, Its Up To Arturo, And His Unstoppable Ego, To Follow And Win Her Back. From The Cattle Ranches Of The Llanos To The Dense Jungle Of The Rainforest, Accompanied By Hucksters, Cowboys, Desperate Souls, And A Terrifying Tide Of Ants, Arturo Pursues His Bride-to-be, And Becomes An Inadvertent Witness To The Appalling Conditions Suffered By Workers Forced Or Tricked Into Tapping Rubber Trees.