The Song of the Quetzal
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About this ebook
In a lush rainforest situated in southern Costa Rican, deemed off-limits by the government, Diego begins his search for a legendary blue tree to save his mother's life. The stories tell of its nectar, able to cure all those who drink of it, and its roots, offering immortality to those who should eat of them.
The book is based upon a native folktale that states:
When the shiny feathered long tails disappear from the jungle,
When silent ones carry the tune of life,
The rainbow-dressed blue tree
Will weep tears of joy.
The word "quetzal" comes from the nahuatl term quetzalli, meaning "shiny feathered long tails." Pre-Columbian cultures, among them the Mayan and Aztecs, considered the quetzal a sacred bird. Its iridescent plumage was a symbol of spirituality, life, dignity, fertility, liberty, abundance, power and wealth. The bird was caught in order to pluck its best feathers and then released. Whoever killed a quetzal would suffer a punishment.
The Song of the Quetzal is the first novel by the Costa Rican author Victor Roswell. It is written for a younger audience and falls within the so-called eco-fantasy genre. The original idea comes from the author’s concern for the destruction of the earth’s rainforests, source of an abundance of medicinal plants and home to the majority of what remains of the world’s animals, reptiles and insects. The emblematic golden toad, a creature that is now extinct, plays its part in the novel.
The story takes place in a group of mountains in Costa Rica's South Pacific mountain range. They are called San Cristóbal; it’s not what they’re really called, but it might prevent some crafty, greedy fellow from finding this fabulous place, should he come across this story. What is true is that neither the Spaniards, nor any other nation, have been able to conquer these lands.
Victor Roswell
Born in the city of San José, Costa Rica. His fondest memories transport him to the coffee plantations that still existed at the time in the capital city, where he grew imagining grand adventures ad creating fantastic worlds. It was during these childhood years where he began witnessing the transformation of a city that blended into the green and blue of its native flora and fauna, to a place covered now in the grays and blacks of concrete and asphalt. Victor studied at the University of Costa Rica where he obtained his Law Degree. He is currently engaged in advising and consulting on legal matters. During his primary and secondary years he developed an affinity for the study of literature, in particular works of adventure and fantasy drew his interest, ancient history was also a favorite, not only allowing him to travel to unexplored terrain, discover fascinating characters or immerse himself in dangerous adventures but also by allowing for a more complete comprehension of the civilizations and cultures that for better or for worse have shaped the modern world. Over the years he has delved into Costa Rica’s often enigmatic history. For example, the almost perfectly spherical stones that appear across the territory, and the possible social, religious or astronomical significance of these amongst the inhabitants that disappeared before the arrival of the Spaniards. Or why indeed did those pre-Columbian cultures of both Northern and Southern America detain themselves at the frontiers of this territory. For Victor, writing allows his characters and the worlds they inhabit, escape the limits of his imagination, not from benevolence but since this way they will leave him in peace. Just as in real life, some characters are held closer to his heart than others, some are merely appreciated and others he simply does not like but he tries to get along with them for the sake of the story. Via his novels Victor aims not only to keep alive the type of novels that fuelled his imagination, but also to draw attention to the dangers involved with the savage exploitation of natural resources, which eventually ends up affecting all humans. It is for this reason that the extinction of the Golden Toad and the relevance of its absence from the song of life is of such importance in this first novel. Nació en la ciudad de San José, Costa Rica. Sus primeros recuerdos lo llevan a las últimas plantaciones de café que por aquel tiempo todavía existían en la ciudad capital, donde creció imaginando aventuras y creando mundos fantásticos. Durante su niñez presenció la transformación de una ciudad que se mezclaba con el verde y azul de la flora y fauna, en un lugar cubierto ahora por el gris y negro del concreto y el asfalto. Estudió en la Universidad de Costa Rica, donde obtuvo su Licenciatura en Derecho. Actualmente se dedica a la asesoría y consultoría en materia legal. Sus estudios de educación básica y superior siempre estuvieron aparejados con las letras, siendo la literatura fantástica y de aventuras su predilecta, sin dejar por ello de lado aquellas enmarcadas en la historia antigua, pues estas no sólo le permitieron viajar a lugares inexplorados, conocer personajes interesantes o verse inmerso en peligrosas aventuras, sino también vivir en medio de las civilizaciones que moldearon, para bien y para mal, el mundo que ahora habitamos. Durante este tiempo se interesa en profundizar en la historia antigua de Costa Rica, principalmente en muchos de los misterios que no han sido develados: el significado de las esferas de piedra que han sido encontradas en diversos lugares de este territorio y su significado social, religioso y astronómico entre los pueblos que las crearon y que desaparecieron antes de la llegada de los españoles o el porqué la influencia de las grandes culturas prehispánicas del norte y sur de América se detenía en este territorio. Para él, escribir es permitirle a los personajes, y a los mundos donde ellos viven, escapar de los límites de su imaginación, no por benevolencia sino porque así lo dejen de molestar. Tal y como sucede en la vida, existen personajes que son sus preferidos, otros a los aprecia y unos cuantos con los que no se lleva bien, pero por el bien de la historia, trata de convivir con todos. A través de las letras no sólo busca crear historias como las que tanto amaba, sino aprovechar las mismas para llamar la atención y advertir de los peligros que conlleva salvaje explotación de los recursos naturales, la cual terminará afectando al ser humano. Por ello, en su libro El canto de los quetzales, es de mucha importancia la extinción del sapo dorado y lo que significa su ausencia en el canto de la vida.
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