María

María (1867) is widely considered the quintessential novel of Latin American Romanticism. Jorge Isaacs masterfully weaves a tragic love story between Efraín and his cousin María against the lush backdrop of the Valle del Cauca in Colombia.

Beyond the romance, the novel is a rich ethnography of 19th-century Colombia, portraying the social structures, racial dynamics, and the tension between the idealized landscape and the inevitability of death. It remains one of the most read and studied novels in the Spanish language canon.

This Edition: Annotated by Flor María Rodríguez-Arenas, this edition contextualizes the novel's historical significance and provides essential footnotes for the modern student, making the vocabulary and cultural references accessible.