Mara

(Hardback)

Available Formats

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Mara (1867) is a novel by Jorge Isaacs. Partly inspired by his own life, Mara is a moving story of romance, hope, and tragedy by a leading author of the Spanish Romantic movement. The novel was Isaacs debut work of fiction and seemed to promise him a lengthy career in Colombian literature. As he dedicated himself to politics, however, he largely abandoned his youthful commitment to writing in favor of a more conventional career. Raised in the idyllic countryside of Valle del Cauca, Mara and Efran develop a love for one another that refuses to die. Forced apart by familial expectations, Efran leaves his lover to study in Bogot, and remains in the Colombian capital for six years. Desperate to return, he leaves the city and reunites with Mara, who waited patiently the whole time he was away. As the two begin preparing for a life together in their beautiful homeland, Efran learns that his family has other plans for him. In a few months time, he is expected to travel to London and enroll in medical school, guaranteeing years away from his home and his young, faithful love. As the day of his departure approaches, Efran and Mara attempt to recapture the simplistic joy of their youth but find themselves drifting further into doubt than ever before. Mara is a masterpiece of Romantic literature from a talented writer who blossomed early and never managed to live up to his astounding promise. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Jorge Isaacs Mara is a classic of Colombian literature reimagined for modern readers.

Author Bio

Jorge Isaacs (1837-1895) was a Colombian writer, soldier, and politician. Born into wealth, Isaacs was raised by an English Jewish father and a mother with Spanish heritage. He was educated from a young age, attending school in Bogot without completing his degree. In 1854, he entered the fight against the military dictatorship of General Jos Mara Melo and married Felisa Gonzlez Umaa in 1856. For the next several years, he struggled to establish himself as a merchant, eventually turning to literature. In 1860, he joined the Colombian Civil War and fought until the conflict came to an end in 1862. Soon after the war, he began building his reputation as a writer, finding publication for his poems and working on a draft of his first novel. When Mara appeared in 1867, Isaacs was praised for his emotional power and became recognized as a central figure of Colombian literature. Despite his success, he never managed to recapture the vision that inspired his early works, dedicating himself to a life in politics instead. Mara remains an essential work of Spanish-language Romanticism and has earned Isaacs comparison to such literary greats as Chateaubriand and Edgar Allan Poe.