The Falling of Cardinal Points
by Luis Fayad Naffah
“The sayid Abderrahud spoke of the fortune that his son was going to seek, but warned him that he was thinking not only of the fortune of money but above all of tranquility and joy”. La caída de los puntos cardinales dares to imagine the journey of a group of Lebanese teenagers who, by chance, arrive in Colombia at the end of the 19th century. Traversed by a series of violent conflicts on both sides of the ocean, by the adaptation to life in the cities, the slow and confusing consolidation of the State, and the longing for technical and industrial progress, the novel accompanies the characters as they establish themselves in the social and commercial sphere of Bogota's middle class. In this story converge the different ways in which love matures and the friendships of those who migrate grow around the table and the game. For the characters, the learning and stumbling blocks of living in another language intermingle with the urgencies of the present, and the ties with the country of origin cool down and become knotted again in the nostalgia for the passing of time and the longing to live the best life possible. The impact of Lebanese migration to Colombia is in the language, manners and gastronomy of different parts of the country, but the stories of those who crossed the sea and made it their new home are not part of our everyday knowledge. This novel by Luis Fayad reminds us of the power of those lives, in Puerto Colombia and Teusaquillo, in Valle del Cauca and carrera séptima in Bogotá, with a subtle and sharp writing, to integrate them back into an idea of country.”
