Una Casa En Bogot?/ A House in Bogota

Gracias al Premio Internacional Rub?n Bonifaz Nu?o, en la categor?a de ensayo, el fil?logo narrador de estas p?ginas puede comprar su casa. Despu?s de toda una vida de desearla, de obser varla, de acercar se a sus paredes de piedra y ladrillo rojo para descifrar el enigma de su atracci?n, logra por fin saberla suya, y en el momento en el que franquea el umbral como su due?o, reconoce en ella su destino, su lugar en el mundo, el espacio a la medida de sus gustos y de su concepci?n de la vida.

La instalaci?n en esta vieja casona bogotana es un proceso paciente y, m?s que f?sico, reflexivo y memor?stico. Pues cada rinc?n, la madera de los pisos, los ba?os, el comedor, la vajilla, la biblioteca, las habitaciones, la mansarda, incluso el bar rio entrevisto por las ventanas, dan pie a un viaje fascinante por la vida del protagonista. Conocemos de su existencia itinerante en compa??a de su t?a, sus preocupaciones intelectuales, su amor por los libros y la lengua, sus ricas experiencias sexuales, su descubrimiento del lado oscuro de las ciudades, as? como las estelas de una remota tragedia que lo persigue desde la ni?ez.

ENGLISH DESCRIPTION

"Gamboa's talent at cultivating intrigue and the extravagant energy of his stories make him compulsive reading." --Times Literary Supplement

Thanks to a prize-winning essay that earned him the Rub?n Bonifaz Nu?o International Award, the philologist who narrates these pages can buy the house of his dreams. After yearning for it, observing it, trying to decipher the attraction of its stone and red brick walls, he has finally made it his own. The moment he crosses its threshold, he recognizes it as his destiny, his place in the world, and the space best adapted to his tastes and outlook on life.

Moving into the stately old house takes patience. More than a physical task, it is a reflexive and nostalgic endeavor. Every corner of the house - the wood floors, the bathrooms, the dining room, the china, the study, the bedrooms, the attic, even the neighborhood glimpsed through the windows - evokes a fascinating journey through the protagonist's life. We learn of his nomadic upbringing by his aunt, his intellectual obsessions, love of books and language, sexual fulfillment, discovery of the dark side of city life, and the tragedy that has shadowed him since childhood.