Publisher Description

Colombia, November 1993: a reconstructed old passenger train is carrying one hundred musicians, acrobats and artists on a daring adventure through the heart of a country soaked in violence. Leading this crusade of hope is Manu Chao with his band Mano Negra. Manu's father Ramon Chao is on board to chronicle the journey. As the papa of the train, he endures personal discomfort, internal strife, derailments, stowaways, disease, guerrillas and paramilitaries. When the train arrives in Aracataca, the real-life Macondo of One Hundred Years of Solitude, Mano Negra disintegrates, leaving Manu to pick up the pieces with those determined to see this once-in-a-lifetime adventure through to the end.

Author Biography

Ramon Chao (Villalba, Lugo 1935) is a distinguished writer and journalist. He was chief editor for the Latin American service of Radio France Internationale, and worked for Le Monde and Le Monde Diplomatique. He is the French correspondent for Radio Colifata in Buenos Aires. In 1984 he created the prestigious Juan Rulfo Prize, an award for new Spanish language writers. He has written numerous essays and novels in French, Spanish and Galician. Amongst his works are Las Travesias de Luis Gontan, Las Andaduras del Che, El Lago de Como and Porque Cuba Eres Tu. He lives in Paris.

Review

'A fabulous account of a wonderfully borderline-insane trip.' - Songlines ***** 'Any band that ever moaned about the freshness of the backstage towels should read this book.' - Word 'For Manu's growing army of admirers, the book provides a magical-realist insight into how his music has developed.' - The Guardian 'Maybe it was the best adventure I ever had.' - Manu Chao

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