I was not impressed with Memories of My Melancholy Whores but this One Hundred Years of Solitude is thought of as Gabriel García Márquez’ masterpiece therefore I decided to give him another go. It was initially published in Spanish in 1967 and has been widely translated since.
It is a metaphoric history of Columbia told through the story of seven generations of the fictional Buendia family of Maconda. Dominant themes include solitude, selfishness and mystical realism. Incest and yet another old man lusting over a girl-child features in this book as well. Ugh! It was an interesting read though, each line pregnant with some symbolism or another making you concentrate lest you lost track of which Aureliano was doing what. It was repetitious, tedious, overwhelming with all the births, and deaths, and recycling of names. Clearly, Márquez is a crazy genius and I wish I could read and understand Spanish as I suspect the book is more magical read in it’s initial language. I’m not surprised he was recognized with a Nobel Prize. That said, his style of writing is not for me as I read for pleasure not torture but I will give him a third try with Love in The Time of Cholera.
It’s enough for me to be sure that you and I exist at this moment.
A lover of mangoes. A woman - smart, without pretense, lefthanded, Afropolitan - navigating this thing called life. An unapologetic believer in social justice and karma. Choosing to radiate positive energy and be true to myself. Here, my musings.
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