Cocaina: a book on those who make it

When Colombia's 'King of Cocaine', Pablo Escobar, was killed, the world thought the cocaine industry would crumble. But ten years later the country's production had almost quadrupled, and for the last decade Colombia has produced more than 60 per cent of all the cocaine consumed in the world. The drug is both a curse and a salvation for Colombians. Farmers grow coca for cash but fear discovery. Families must co-operate with drug-funded guerrillas or go on the run. Destitute teens become trained killers for a quick buck, in a ruthless underworld where few survive for long. At the same time, tension grows between Colombia - the last US ally in the region - and its socialist neighbours in Latin America. With the failed US war on drugs playing into this geopolitical brew, the future of cocaine is about more than what happens to street dealers and their customers. Based on three years of research, and more than 100 interviews with growers, traffickers, assassins, refugees, police, politicians, and drug tourists, Cocaina is an exceptional insight into one of the world's most troubling industries.

About the Author :
Magnus Linton is a Swedish writer whose work tackles controversial social, political, and ethical topics. He is the author of several acclaimed non-fiction books, including The Vegans (2000), a provocative account of the ethics of eating meat that turned then Swedish prime minister Göran Persson into a ‘semi-vegetarian’; Americanos (2005), a pioneering masterpiece exploring the rise of neo-socialism in Latin America; and The Hated (2012), which examines the emergence of the new radical right in Europe. Cocaína was first published in Swedish in 2010 and was nominated for the August Prize, Sweden’s most important literary award. Magnus lives in Stockholm and Bogotá with his family. John Eason is an American translator and educator based in Stockholm. He holds a PhD in Scandinavian Studies from the University of Wisconsin, where he has taught Scandinavian literature and Swedish. John has also been a guest lecturer at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.

Review :
‘Linton weaves his narrative threads into keen political and historical analysis — investigative journalism at its finest … His analysis of American and European complicity in Colombia’s misery, the corruption of the Colombian government and the military’s terroristic collusions, racial politics, and the painful psychosocial impact of a 40-year war on drugs (creating what he calls a ‘carousel of war’) set this book well apart.’ STARRED REVIEW ‘Cocaína is accessible enough to provide an excellent introduction for readers unfamiliar with the Colombia’s highly complex history. Yet the material is also original and thought-provoking, providing an excellent and worthy addition to the growing body of literature on drug legalisation and its relation to postmodern ethics.’ ‘The thing with Cocaína is that it is damn good without the author himself being too visible. Linton does not write himself into the story, he does not position himself on the issue of legalisation … And this is certainly not a pamphlet about a drug; rather, it is an exposé on Colombia: a well-researched and loving portrait of a nation with an unusually violent contemporary history.’ ‘There is something cinematic about his art of reporting: violent Spanish slang explodes into the narrative, contrasted with nature poetry. It is a story about catastrophe, yet without phony advice or solutions.’ ‘A thorough piece of investigative journalism … From raiding gunships to the corridors of politics, Linton draws a depressing picture of a drug that has a stranglehold on a nation.’ ‘A vivid picture of life in a country where the cocaine trade permeates all.’ ‘The fascinating biography of a country famous for all the wrong reasons — Colombia.’