Colombia, dicen, es un país encantador por su geografía, y por su gente. Cali, la capital, es igualmente hermosa, pero la vida diaria se ha vuelto muy complicada allí. Para el autor de este volumen, se trata de un lugar de grandes contrastes, porque en él coexisten la alegría y la pachanga con la destrucción y la muerte. Aquí se juega con el sentido de la frase que da título al libro. Se trata de una colección que pretende recrear el ambiente a veces asfixiante y otras conmovedor de la gran urbe latinoamericana. La publicación está compuesta por quince cuentos entre los que se destacan: «Calle arriba, Cali abajo» y «Besacalles». Con ironía, buen humor y crudeza, el escritor describe la vida de su ciudad natal, exaltándola como el amor de sus amores, al mismo tiempo que la aborrece como al monstruo despiadado y cruel que se traga a todos los suyos.
Author
Luis Andrés Caicedo Estela was a Colombian writer born in Cali, the city where he would spend most of his life. Despite his premature death, his work is considered one of the most original in Colombian literature. Caicedo leaded different cultural movements in the city like the literary group "Los Dialogantes" (Those who speak), the Cinema Club of Cali and the "Ojo con el Cine" Magazine (Attention to the Cinema). In 1970 he won the First Literary Contents of Caracas with his work "Los dientes de caperucita" (The Teeth of Little Red Riding Hood) that opened the doors of national recognition for him. Some sources say that he used to say that to live more than 25 years was a shame and it is seen as the main reason of his suicide on March 4, 1977 when he was that age. Caicedo's work has as its context the urban world and its social conflicts, especially those of young people. Contrary to the school of magic realism, the work of Caicedo is grounded completely in social reality. Therefore, some scholars give importance to his work as an alternative in Latin America to prominent figures such as Gabriel García Márquez, especially through the research of the Chilean journalist, writer and movie critic Alberto Fuguet who called Caicedo "The first enemy of Macondo". Despite his fame in Colombia, Caicedo is little known in Latin America, maybe for his early death. However his work is becoming known thanks to the influence of his works in new writer generations such as Rafael Chaparro, Efraim Medina Reyes, Manuel Giraldo, Octavio Escobar and Ricardo Abdahllah.
