Rum

“Rom” is one of the most famous novels by Blaise Cendrars. Its hero, Jean Galmo, is a historical and legendary figure. Born in a remote French province, he first became a major plantation owner in the French Republic colony of Guiana, later served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies, worked as a journalist and writer, and was in love with the tropical forest. He spent his entire life fighting and building—and fell victim to intrigue. This gripping adventure novel, rich with the realities of the 1910s–1920s of the last century, tells the story of a true entrepreneur, an adventurer in the best sense of the word, and in Cendrars’ depiction the hero of “Rom” is the national pride of France, one of the true creators of its well-being.