Sometimes
it takes a while. Respected Colombian writer Tomás
González
published his first novel, In the Beginning Was the Sea, over thirty
years ago, but it has only recently been translated into English.
Like many first novels it is autobiographical, but it does not seem
like the early attempt of a young writer.
Elena
and J. are a young couple who have left their life as intellectual
dilettantes in Medellín
for a life of simplicity and sustainable agriculture on the coast of
Colombia. Or at least that is their idealized vision. It's the
70's, and their hippy naivete allows them to believe that they are
perfectly suited for this endeavor. But their backgrounds of urban
privilege have left them totally unable to deal with real life. They
alienate the locals, their farming attempts fail, and the omniscient
narrator discloses early in the novel that J. will not survive.
Their disintegration is uncomfortable to watch, but I couldn't look
away.
The story is based on the real life tragedy of González's older brother. But their is no trace of filial empathy in the narrative. The
prose is spare and straightforward but powerful, whether describing the beauty of
surroundings or the poignant intricacies of a marriage breaking down.
I hope this translation will allow González
to gain greater literary attention.
