Cumandá: the Novel of the Ecuadorian Jungle

by: Juan León Mera in Spanish, March 1877; English translation 2007 by Noé O. Vaca

Published by: AuthorHouse (February release)

Reviewed by Beth Cummings

This book was originally published in Spanish in 1879. Juan León Mera told a Romeo/Juliet style story that takes place in Ecuador during a time of revolts by indigenous tribes against invading Spanish Christians.

A Spanish rancher, Juan D. Orosco, loses his property during a native uprising and all of his family, except for Carlos, the oldest son who is away at school, are killed in the fire. He then decides to dedicate the remainder of his life to God as a Dominican friar. He develops a strong following among one of the Amazon tribes.

When Carlos becomes an adult, he is strongly attracted to Cumandá, a lovely young woman from the tribe. Their relationship is not approved and to save Carlos’s life, she is forced to marry a chief from a neighboring tribe. The story continues in a tragic manner from there.

According to the notes by translator, Noé O. Vaca, this book has been a favorite among South Americans since its first publication. He often wondered why one of the most important novels of 19th century Latin America had not appeared in English and he determined to do a translation.
Vaca was born and raised in Ecuador, but has lived in the U.S. since 1969. In 2008 the House of Ecuadorian Culture gave him the rights to publish his English translation.

The book has a lot of descriptive passages about the “orient” of Ecuador – the eastern jungle area. There are also many details delineating segments of the indigenous lifestyle from the Spanish/Christian perspective. Because the language style is that of 19th century Spanish, the English version is often somewhat stilted and awkward. It is difficult to determine if this was the original style or a problem with the translation.

It is an interesting example of Latin American literature, but the story is fairly trite. I wouldn’t be comfortable recommending it for general reading.

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