Hatoum, M: Orphans of Eldorado

'Hatoum is a tough and gifted novelist: he is able simultaneously to render the richness and strangeness of the amazonian vegetation and the melting pot of cultures in it, and to tell a human tale that is complex and wry and
occasionally terrible.' A.S. Byatt
'One of South America's leading contemporary novelists.' Guardian
Arminto Cordovil has inherited a fortune, and with it control of his father's shipping empire. But when a freighter, The Eldorado, crashes in the lower reaches of the Amazon, its shipwrecked hull seems tied to Arminto's destiny. He will soon discover his father's cunning and the disastrous consequences it will have for his own young life.
Orphans of Eldorado is a magical retelling of a legendary expedition. From the vibrant port of Manaus, through the lush heart of the Amazon, Hatoum takes us on a quest for our greatest desires.

Born in Manaus in 1952, Milton Hatoum's first novel, TALE OF A CERTAIN ORIENT, was published in 1989, followed by THE BROTHERS in 2000. Both won the prestigious Jabuti Prize for best novel. ASHES OF THE AMAZON (2005) was also awarded the Jabuti Prize, as well as the Portugal Telecom Prize for literature.