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Malambo
A powerful historical novel set in Peru in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
“In Malambo . . . the Rimac proudly rubs elbows with the freedmen, the cimarrons, and smuggled slaves. . . It runs united to the other subterranean springs underneath Blanket Street, Weavers Lane, and under Jewish Street . . . and Swordmaker’s Lanes.”
The Rimac shapes the narrative of this compelling historical novel that probes the brutal clash of ethnicity, religion, and class in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Peru. Set against the backdrop of Spanish colonialism and the Spanish Inquisition in the “New World,” Malambo peels back the layers of Peru’s society to focus on the subtle connections among indigenous peoples— Africans, Jews, Christians, and others—whose cultural fusion pervades Latin American history and culture.
At the heart of the novel is Tomason, an African artist living along the Rimac who paints religious murals for the church and his colonial masters. The intermingling of his Yoruba heritage with his life in a Spanish colony transforms him into a griot figure who unearths the deeper truths of his painful and complex experience by sharing it. Other memorable characters’ stories intertwine with Tomason’s tale, developing a narrative that powerfully reflects on the themes of dislocation and enslavement.
Malambo is an unforgettable work that explores the origins of the Afro-Hispanic experience and offers a profound meditation on the forces of history.
“In Malambo . . . the Rimac proudly rubs elbows with the freedmen, the cimarrons, and smuggled slaves. . . It runs united to the other subterranean springs underneath Blanket Street, Weavers Lane, and under Jewish Street . . . and Swordmaker’s Lanes.”
The Rimac shapes the narrative of this compelling historical novel that probes the brutal clash of ethnicity, religion, and class in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Peru. Set against the backdrop of Spanish colonialism and the Spanish Inquisition in the “New World,” Malambo peels back the layers of Peru’s society to focus on the subtle connections among indigenous peoples— Africans, Jews, Christians, and others—whose cultural fusion pervades Latin American history and culture.
At the heart of the novel is Tomason, an African artist living along the Rimac who paints religious murals for the church and his colonial masters. The intermingling of his Yoruba heritage with his life in a Spanish colony transforms him into a griot figure who unearths the deeper truths of his painful and complex experience by sharing it. Other memorable characters’ stories intertwine with Tomason’s tale, developing a narrative that powerfully reflects on the themes of dislocation and enslavement.
Malambo is an unforgettable work that explores the origins of the Afro-Hispanic experience and offers a profound meditation on the forces of history.
250 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 19, 2022
Esta es una de las mejores novelas peruanas que he leído en los últimos años. No le sobra una palabra a la narración de Lucía Charún-Illescas sinceramente. ¡Qué maestra!
Creo que un enorme logro de esta obra es la construcción de los personajes, sobre todo los afroperuanos, como Tomasón y Pancha❤️, quienes de distintas maneras buscarán revelarse a las normas del sistema que regía durante el periodo colonial. Como lectores, los sentimos vivir en las páginas del libro.
Por otro lado, me he transportado, gracias a las maravillosas descripciones, a una Lima que he podido hasta oler ❤️🔥 Y he escuchado el río en mi oído.
Lo único que me entristece es saber que es la única obra publicada de la autora ☹️ Lo bueno es que siempre se puede releer esta joya que es Malambo 🔥
Creo que un enorme logro de esta obra es la construcción de los personajes, sobre todo los afroperuanos, como Tomasón y Pancha❤️, quienes de distintas maneras buscarán revelarse a las normas del sistema que regía durante el periodo colonial. Como lectores, los sentimos vivir en las páginas del libro.
Por otro lado, me he transportado, gracias a las maravillosas descripciones, a una Lima que he podido hasta oler ❤️🔥 Y he escuchado el río en mi oído.
Lo único que me entristece es saber que es la única obra publicada de la autora ☹️ Lo bueno es que siempre se puede releer esta joya que es Malambo 🔥
January 8, 2014
Malambo
by Lucia Charun-illescas
Edition: Hardcover
Price: £17.35
4.0 out of 5 stars Little-known aspect of Peru, 31 Dec 2013
This review is from: Malambo (Hardcover)
It is always a pleasure to hold a book with an artistic dustcover, printed on quality paper. Further, there has been insufficient translation of Latin American works into English and I admire the initiative of non-profit presses such as Swan Isle Press.
I was eager to read 'Malambo' because of the unusual setting of Peru in the late sixteenth/early seventeenth century. The author, an historian, has written her first novel about a little-known theme, the way of life of those affected by the slavery, rife at that time.
Peru was central to the Spanish Inquisition. Slaves from Africa, the mainland and indigenous minority groups suffered horrific treatment. Those who survived the brutality of their treatment were priced according to their health and strength. Those 'freed' often found themselves in a worse position. This novel shows how slaves might save up earnings or win favours from owners to buy their freedom or that of their kin, creating families with both enslaved and free, skilled and unskilled, rural and urban folk.
Within the social hierarchy of the slave stratum, the black artisans had the highest rank due to their skills. They worked as carpenters, tailors, blacksmiths, swordsmiths and silversmiths. This group enjoyed more freedom than their fellows who worked at large haciendas or in private households. Spanish small-business keepers would dispatch servant-artisans to carry out a job independently and then return to their owner. Skilled black artisans sometimes took a role of a low-ranking employee for their trades were a major avenue of social progress.
Illescas' novel is populated with characters from different walks of life, but the main focus is upon those of African descent. An atmospheric opening reveals the significance of the river Rimac, both as a character in its own right, and in the way it divided rich from poor residences in the area. The opening introduces the best drawn character, Tomason, an ancient painter of high repute who has escaped his master yet is still bound to him at a distance. Initially he is found jut finising a work with inadequate tools to keep the master satisfied.
Thereupon, the first half of the novel's number of characters and frequent changes of tense make for a taxing read. It is as though the people and events wash up against each other in waves, like flotsam in the river when it rises. Early on, a missing father is found dead in it. He has briefly left his daughter, Pancha, with Tomason but when he is lost, Tomason uncomplainingly rears the girl like an honorary grandfather.
As a reference to magical thinking and the whispering myths from the culture of origin, the river gives gossip, it is listened to for information.
The many characters are used to display the fusion of races and cultures in Lima: Jews, Christians, Spaniards, Portuguese, Creoles, negroes, mestizos and mulattoes. If a character has need there is the possibility of 'disappearing' amongst negroes in Lima, who were equal in number to Peruvians. We are shown those individuals who prosper, often illegitimately, as well as those who suffer. The interchanges between individuals reflect the daily experience of servitude, abuse, diligence and deviance.
The elderly painter lives in squalor and hardship, yet retains his power and dignity. A religious painting is awaited from him. He makes his master wait. More eagerly, he decorates the walls of his cave-like home in coal, a medium he knows will fade with time, like himself. We see that his illustrations record events, experiences, beliefs, truths. As time goes on, the painter becomes increasingly focussed on the dust in the air, how it lies around him, how the sun shines through it.
In the novel's second half, there is more flow and pace. The events show the difficulties, brutalities and social spirit that mark the characters' lives. A four poster bed is one character's heritage, her only possession. Its removal by officers is on the basis that it is forbidden for a negro to sleep on a bed. The bed travels around town its resting place dependent upon the fortunes of its owner, its 'acceptance'.
The reader is shown the branding sheds and methods of torture, the horrendous way in which slaves are transported and kept. A skilled negro silversmith is mistakenly believed to be a thief and is murdered in the most brutal manner. The perpetrator is subsequently told, calmly, that he did a bad thing. He recognises this without apparent upset. An innocent traveller, seeking only to record the places and peoples he finds, is drugged and branded on the face. He refuses to blame the perpetrators, victims of slavery and the awful branding sheds. The female married slave forced to regularly sleep with her master is beaten into disability to appease the master's wife, but continues to work and sleep as required. Illescu relates all such very violent events unemotionally. It is as though such acts were so commonplace that they are passively accepted if not condoned. And so the negroes submitted to their fate.
When the innocent traveller is lost, he is told the land lies between the river on one side and the mountain on the other. Malambo is that place, between two potential powers, conveniently near to Lima but far enough for secrets to be held there. Power lies on one side of the Rincon, hardship on the other.
Along the river's path, Pancha seeks the truth of her father's death. Her first foray from Malambo is described like a coming of age. Tomason wonders if the travelling bed will find acceptance. Pancha's 'finding her path home' after her search is also used symbolically, and will end in marriage.
There are passages that have beauty and spark associations in the reader's mind, such as the intrusion of myth, mostly Yorumba, the main character's homeland.
As for criticism, I found the dialogue jerky and no guide to characterisation. One character spoke much like another, giving background and essential information in an artificial manner. The dialogue did not convince or lift the narrative. The manner of changing tense within the same paragraph did disconcert me and I was conscious of a struggle between my reading of the author's intent and the translation of it. The reader needs to know if s/he is 'in the moment' or looking back upon it.
It is always important to hold separate the skill of the writer from that of the translator. I believe that when a novel is translated, it should represent the strength of the description such that the reader's ignorance of the original language is not a problem. I was not sure that the translator managed this task. There were several instances of inelegance: a discrete/discreet confusion, 'wind' as a verb and as a noun in the same sentence obliterating the meaning, and occasional sentence construction that did not reflect naturalistic English.
In conclusion, I would recommend this novel because of its insight into a world little-known and the importance of recognising the African heritage within Peru. However, Illescas is more a historian than a novelist. If this story had been told from the point of view of Tomason, or even alternating between him and Altagracia, the injured woman, the reader would have had more emotional investment in the tale. As it stands, the work is of more historical than literary importance, but an interesting read for all that.
July 30, 2022
Excelente obra
Desde el inicio me atrapó y no pude parar hasta terminar de leerla. Sentí los olores, sonidos y sabores de esa Lima colonial. La historia de los afrodescendientes es parte de nuestra historia, de cada uno de nosotros. ¡Excelente obra!
Desde el inicio me atrapó y no pude parar hasta terminar de leerla. Sentí los olores, sonidos y sabores de esa Lima colonial. La historia de los afrodescendientes es parte de nuestra historia, de cada uno de nosotros. ¡Excelente obra!
August 20, 2022
Es una pena que sea el único libro de la autora. He aprendido más leyéndolo que en todas las clases de historia en donde olvidan a las personas afrodescendientes, cómo llegaron y todo lo que aportaron desde sus propias culturas y creencias.
Libro hiper recomendable
Libro hiper recomendable
November 2, 2022
Read for class. Hard to understand.
July 13, 2024
Pucha, me da mucha pena, pero la verdad es que me costó mucho conectar, prácticamente no entendí y, al final, obté por leerlo en veritcal. Realmente quería que me gustara, pero bueno.
April 25, 2025
Hermoso. El mejor que voy leyendo este año
August 20, 2022
“𝘚𝘦 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘰́ 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘳. 𝘈𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘻𝘰́. 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘰́ 𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘰́. 𝘚𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘰́ 𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘻𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰 𝘺 𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘫𝘰𝘴 𝘦𝘭 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘰 𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘭 𝘙𝘪́𝘰 𝘏𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘳, 𝘯𝘪 𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘰 𝘤𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢 𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘺𝘢 𝘯𝘰 𝘵𝘶𝘷𝘰 𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰 𝘥𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘪́𝘢 𝘰𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘷𝘦𝘻”
Malambo es una novela coral de ficción histórica que habla sobre la experiencia de afroperuanas y afroperuanos durante la época colonial entre los siglos XVI y XVII.
Sentí que los personajes estuvieron bien construidos y, en mi caso, llegué a encariñarme con muchos de ellos, como Tomasón, Altagracia Jaci, Pancha y Venancio (Tú no De la Piedra!! 😡), porque lograron captar las complejidades personales y sociales tan marcadas en esa época y eso los hacía bastante reales.
También me gustó un montón la forma en la que se van presentando a los protagonistas y sus historias, es decir, como poco a poco te van mostrando a cada personaje, su relevancia en la novela y su conexión con los demás. Eso fue algo que inicialmente me mareó un poco por tantos nombres, pero conforme fui avanzado, terminó enganchándome por completo!
Finalmente, creo que Malambo ha sido una gran lectura que toca temas importantes como la esclavitud, racismo, la venta de personas, como era la ''Ciudad de los Reyes'' en esa época, el apoyo entre razas oprimidas o el rol de las mujeres afroperuana y su triple estigmatización justo por eso, por ser mujeres, afroperuanas y esclavas, entre muchos otros temas que generan debates muy interesantes en torno a la novela y que generan cuestionamientos sinceros y reveladores de cuan poco hemos avanzado como sociedad.
Malambo es una novela coral de ficción histórica que habla sobre la experiencia de afroperuanas y afroperuanos durante la época colonial entre los siglos XVI y XVII.
Sentí que los personajes estuvieron bien construidos y, en mi caso, llegué a encariñarme con muchos de ellos, como Tomasón, Altagracia Jaci, Pancha y Venancio (Tú no De la Piedra!! 😡), porque lograron captar las complejidades personales y sociales tan marcadas en esa época y eso los hacía bastante reales.
También me gustó un montón la forma en la que se van presentando a los protagonistas y sus historias, es decir, como poco a poco te van mostrando a cada personaje, su relevancia en la novela y su conexión con los demás. Eso fue algo que inicialmente me mareó un poco por tantos nombres, pero conforme fui avanzado, terminó enganchándome por completo!
Finalmente, creo que Malambo ha sido una gran lectura que toca temas importantes como la esclavitud, racismo, la venta de personas, como era la ''Ciudad de los Reyes'' en esa época, el apoyo entre razas oprimidas o el rol de las mujeres afroperuana y su triple estigmatización justo por eso, por ser mujeres, afroperuanas y esclavas, entre muchos otros temas que generan debates muy interesantes en torno a la novela y que generan cuestionamientos sinceros y reveladores de cuan poco hemos avanzado como sociedad.
August 31, 2012
Lucia Charun Llescas, afroperuviana nata a Lima, prende spunto dal passato del suo Perù per scrivere questo romanzo, "perchè Nana, Malù, Martith, Cae, Mateo e Nano non dimentichino il fiume che parla".
L'opera è ambientata nel quartiere nero della Lima del 1600 che soffre l'importazione di schiavi dall'Africa. Il quartiere di Malambo, aldilà del fiume Rimac, dove tutto è cultura afro e perciò oscuro e temibile. La figura principale è quella del vecchio pittore Tomason, che si è rifugiato nella parte nera della città, per sentire di nuovo il fiume che parla (e che ascolta) e il rumore del tambor. Qui continua a dipingere per il suo "padrone" e anche per se stesso.
Nella parte della Lima ricca invece i commercianti di schiavi decidono quanti "pezzi di ebano" debbano andare ai vari proprietari. Le vite di diversi personaggi si intrecciano in una storia verosimile dove alla fine nessuno è veramente vincitore sull'altro, dove a tutti manca qualcosa e dove tutti, soprattutto i ricchi, dipendono da qualcosa. Una dei personaggi più significativi è sicuramente quello di Altagracia Maravillas, serva nera in casa di De la Piedra, l'unica che si dimostrerà capace (o almeno si spera) di dare amore. Perchè in questo romanzo quello che manca ai personaggi è l'amore, che non li sostiene, non li muove e non li coccola. Alle volte nella più cruda delle realtà l'amore è un lusso.
L'opera è ambientata nel quartiere nero della Lima del 1600 che soffre l'importazione di schiavi dall'Africa. Il quartiere di Malambo, aldilà del fiume Rimac, dove tutto è cultura afro e perciò oscuro e temibile. La figura principale è quella del vecchio pittore Tomason, che si è rifugiato nella parte nera della città, per sentire di nuovo il fiume che parla (e che ascolta) e il rumore del tambor. Qui continua a dipingere per il suo "padrone" e anche per se stesso.
Nella parte della Lima ricca invece i commercianti di schiavi decidono quanti "pezzi di ebano" debbano andare ai vari proprietari. Le vite di diversi personaggi si intrecciano in una storia verosimile dove alla fine nessuno è veramente vincitore sull'altro, dove a tutti manca qualcosa e dove tutti, soprattutto i ricchi, dipendono da qualcosa. Una dei personaggi più significativi è sicuramente quello di Altagracia Maravillas, serva nera in casa di De la Piedra, l'unica che si dimostrerà capace (o almeno si spera) di dare amore. Perchè in questo romanzo quello che manca ai personaggi è l'amore, che non li sostiene, non li muove e non li coccola. Alle volte nella più cruda delle realtà l'amore è un lusso.
September 27, 2012
Malambo is a truly unique neo-slave narrative, insofar as it focuses on transplanted African and mixed-race slaves in 16th century Peru as ordinary people, with feelings, pleasures, and traditions. That said, it brings to light a lot of really interesting overlaps between various semi-oppressed peoples (indigenes, mixed-race bureaucrats, slaves as artists, etc.) and shows the ways in which networks of power sometimes pitted already marginalized peoples against each other. It also especially highlights the extent to which the degree of cruelty delivered in slavery related specifically to changing patterns of trade, value, and economic exploitation. Because of the economic ties that affect everyone, no one gets to be portrayed as a true hero or villain (except maybe de la Piedra).
In terms of the actual prose of the novel, I'm giving it only three stars because I found the magical realism of it a little overwrought and sometimes very difficult to follow.
In terms of the actual prose of the novel, I'm giving it only three stars because I found the magical realism of it a little overwrought and sometimes very difficult to follow.
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