The Train of Ice and Fire: Mano Negra in Colombia - Hardcover

Ramon Chao

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1901927377 ISBN 13: 9781901927375

Publisher: Route Publishing, 2009

Synopsis

Colombia, November 1993: a reconstructed old passenger train, bespangled with yellow butterflies, is carrying one hundred musicians, acrobats and artists on a daring adventure through the heart of a country soaked in violence. The intention is to put on free shows for locals at railway stations along the way: vibrant spectacles involving music, trapeze, tattoo-art, an ice museum and, star of the show, Roberto the fire-breathing dragon. Leading this crusade of hope is Manu Chao with his band Mano Negra. Ramón Chao is on board to chronicle the journey. As the train climbs 1,000 kilometres from Santa Marta on the Caribbean Coast to Bogotá in the Altiplano, Ramón keeps one eye on the fluctuating morale of the train s eccentric cargo, and the other on the ever-changing physical and social landscape. As the papa of the train, he endures personal discomfort, internal strife, derailments, stowaways, disease, guerrillas and paramilitaries. When the train arrives in Aracataca, the real-life Macondo of One Hundred Years of Solitude, Mano Negra disintegrates, leaving Manu to pick up the pieces with those determined to see this once-in-a-lifetime adventure through to the end. The Train of Ice and Fire is a book about hope and dreams in troubled times. It is about a father accompanying his son through an experience which will change his life. But most of all it is about Colombia, the flora, the fauna, the history, the politics and, more than any of that, it is a book about people.

About this title

About the Author

Ramón Chao (Villalba, Lugo 1935) is a distinguished writer and journalist. He was chief editor for the Latin American service of Radio France Internationale, and worked for Le Monde and Le Monde Diplomatique. He is the French correspondent for Radio Colifata in Buenos Aires. In 1984 he created the prestigious Juan Rulfo Prize, an award for new Spanish language writers. He has written numerous essays and novels in French, Spanish and Galician. Amongst his works are Las Travesías de Luis Gontán, Las Andaduras del Che, El Lago de Como and Porque Cuba Eres Tú. He lives in Paris.

Edition details

• Publisher: Route Publishing
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1901927377
• ISBN 13: 9781901927375
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256