''Cartagena'' is a 2015 Spanish-language

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

an writer

Claudia Amengual Claudia Amengual Puceiro (born 7 January 1969, in Montevideo) is a Uruguayan writer and translator. She is a recipient of the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Prize. Biography She obtained her degrees in translation and literature at the University ...

. Set in

Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

and

Cartagena de Indias Cartagena ( ), known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias (), is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Region of Colombia, Caribbean Coast Region, along the Caribbean Sea. Cartagena's past ...

, it tells the story of a journalist living his

midlife crisis A midlife crisis is a transition of identity and self-confidence that can occur in middle-aged individuals, typically 45 to 65 years old. The phenomenon is described as a psychological crisis brought about by events that highlight a person's grow ...

who takes wrong decisions with disastrous consequences. Thirty years later, he travels to Cartagena in search of a new opportunity. Notably, Colombian writer

Gabriel García Márquez Gabriel José García Márquez (; 6 March 1927 – 17 April 2014) was a Colombian writer and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo () or Gabito () throughout Latin America. Considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th centur ...

appears as an important character in the last pages. This novel constitutes a posthumous tribute to the Colombian Nobel-Prize winner.

Awards

Premio Herralde The Premio Herralde is a Spanish literary prize A literary award or literary prize is an award presented in recognition of a particularly lauded literary piece or body of work. It is normally presented to an author. Organizations Most literary awar ...

2014: Finalist (

Editorial Anagrama Anagrama is a Spanish publisher founded in 1969 by Jorge Herralde, later sold to the Italian publisher Feltrinelli. History Anagrama was founded in 1969 by Jorge Herralde. In 2010, it was sold to the Italian publisher Feltrinelli. A Catalan l ...

References

2015 novels Uruguayan novels Spanish-language novels Novels set in Uruguay Novels set in Colombia Novels about midlife crisis Cartagena, Colombia Gabriel García Márquez Alfaguara books {{Colombia-stub