Essential Reading on Colombia

Colombia is a country of contradictions, surprises and diversity. Geographically, it’s home to snow-capped mountains and stunning beaches. Culturally it’s a mix of African, European and Native American influence. Colombians themselves are outrageously polite, welcoming people and, yet, for decades the country has been one of the most violent in South America (thankfully today safety in Colombia is vastly improved).
To get a hold on the culture and understand why things are the way they are, it can be useful to pick up a few books before coming. Not only will you know some background, but you may avoid offending any locals when you’re seeking to better understand your surroundings.
More than anything, Colombia’s history is a fascinating one, full of bravery, violence, tragedy and hope. The country’s captivating literature reflects this – the more you know, the more you’ll want to know.

Here are our 5 picks for essential reading on Colombia. Enjoy, fellow bookworms!

1. One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel García Márquez

The most famous work of Colombia’s most famous author, One Hundred Years of Solitude is a towering work of world literature and the defining novel of “magical realism”. The story chronicles a Colombian family in an imaginary village on Colombia’s Caribbean Coast, skillfully interweaving the arrival of the first Spaniards (an event that is beautifully and hauntingly rendered in the novel) and Colombia’s subsequent history. Absolutely essential.

2. The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vásquez

The Sound of Things Falling is a stylistic account of the violence that took place in Colombia during the 1980s and early 90s – the period in which infamous drug-lord Pablo Escobar yielded great amounts of power and wealth (even making it onto Forbes’ Rich List). The Sound of Things Falling is set in a dreary Bogotá and tells the tale of lawyer searching for the truth about his murdered partner. An uniquely Colombian thriller that’s full of emotional intensity.

3. Short Walks from Bogotá: Journeys in the New Colombia by Tom Fielding

This is not a travel book. Short Walks from Bogotá wastes little time discussing Colombia’s landscapes and largely avoids the sides of Bogotá’s culture that don’t interest him – which is to say the vibrant art scene, unforgettable nightlife and the day-to-day life of gomelos (rich Bogotanos). Instead the book focuses on social insights into Bogotá’s more vulnerable areas and the history of the city itself.

4. Killing Pablo – Mark Bowden

Sensationalist though it may at times be, Killing Pablo gives a simple, effective insight into the political situation in Colombia during Pablo Escobar’s reign. If you’ve ever wondered how a country could allow someone like Escobar to rise to prominence, this may be the book for you. For those uninterested in police manhunts, you may find the book tailing off towards its middle. Nonetheless it remains a useful introduction.

5. One River: Explorations and Discoveries in the Amazonian Rain Forest by Wade Davies

Wade Davies is something of a hero in Colombia, and upon reading this book it’s not hard to see why. Looking past the conflict and violence that characterizes so much Colombian literature, this work weaves a biographical account of the life of Richard Evans Schultes (one of the 20th Century’s leading Botanists) with Davies’ own travels, revealing a great deal not only about Colombia’s natural beauty, but also the uniqueness and warmth of its people.

Though it doesn’t discuss Colombia’s history at length, the history of the whole Latin American continent is intrinsically linked to Colombia’s past and present situations. The Open Veins of Latin America, a dense, polemic history of the continent, is essential reading for anyone visiting the continent – whether you’re just stopping by or looking to travel South America.