The Hidden River

Esotericism: the quest for hidden truths and spiritual secrets, through which searchers uncover the true nature of self.

In 1920, Argentine author Roberto Arlt, while first developing his own quest as a writer, published an essay on his uneasy experiences with esoteric groups in Buenos Aires. Diego Arandojo and Jorge Fantoni’s graphic novel The Hidden River tells the story of Fausto Dumrauf who, many decades later continues Ault’s work, following in the footsteps if internationally renowned writers such as Leopoldo Lugones and Ernesto Sabatom, who also studied the esoteric classics and frequented secret societies. Dumrauf investigates and collects disparate anecdotes of secret societies, connecting strands of a plot hidden in the shadow of the great South American city, that extend out to entangle some of the most notable occultists of the 20th century.

Dumrauf’s research forms cartography of a hidden river on the Río de la Plata, whose waters can cure or madden, depending on the drinker. Will he reveal mysteries of the cosmos, or simply the weakness of his aging mind and body? The dark swirls of Jorge Fantoni's illustration depict the topography of Diego Arandojo's story like a relief map. Unfold and trace your own journey into the conspiracies.