El Libro del Duelo / The Book of Grief

Ral Carvajal es un padre -y una figura emblemtica de los aos recientes en Colombia- que luch durante aos por encontrar justicia para el caso de su hijo: un joven y honorable cabo del ejrcito asesinado tras negarse a participar en los falsos positivos. En esta novela que retrata su historia, Silva Romero nos entrega su mirada iluminadora sobre el pas para contarnos, con una prosa precisa y bella por estar tan prxima a la vida, el viaje demoledor de este personaje que va de la tristeza a la frustracin, y su confrontacin con los ms distintos enemigos -la hostilidad estatal, el negacionismo, la persecucin, el olvido- con tal de recobrar algo de verdad y un poco de dignidad.

El protagonista de esta vida y el escritor que ac la reivindica reconocen que, ante la nostalgia de no ser una vctima y la imposibilidad de vivir en paz el dolor, la reparacin y el alivio consisten en nunca dejar de contar.

"Ricardo va dejando siempre en sus letras y en su obra las huellas que hay que seguir para encontrar el pas que anhelamos. Este libro es sin duda un mapa para salir de nuestra encrucijada, escrito por uno de los artistas ms lcidos de nuestro tiempo". - Csar Lpez

ENGLISH DESCRIPTION

"No father should find himself in the position of being his son's evangelist, but Don Ral's mission is to keep on telling his story to the world."

Ral Carvajal is a father who became an iconic figure in Colombia after spending years fighting for justice for his son: a young army corporal murdered after refusing to participate in the killings of "false positives" - innocent people labeled as enemy combatants by the Colombian military. In this novel based on his story, Ricardo Silva Romero uses precise and illuminating prose to trace the devastating journey of a father whose grief turns into frustration who comes up against an unexpected series of barriers: a hostile government, official denials, persecution and forgetting. In the process, he struggles to hold on to the truth and his dignity

Both the protagonist of this struggle and the author who takes up his cause understand that telling one's story can sometimes be the only way to avoid victimhood and resignation to a life of pain.

"Ricardo's works leave trails of breadcrumbs leading us toward the type of country we'd like to have. This book, too, is a guidepost for making our way through our current morass, aided by the vision of one of the most lucid artists of our time." - Csar Lpez