“100 Years of Solitude” by Gabriel García Márquez – $8.14
Reading “100 Years of Solitude” by Nobel prize-winning author Gabriel García Márquez for the second time, I was astounded how much I had missed the first time around. I began to feel that the book had rearranged itself between readings, editing out old material and introducing new. It has a density and richness unmatched in most other works, the pages overflowing with humor and sadness, victories and defeats, insanity, murder, and sex.
This is a book that defies easy categorization and summary. It begins in a mythic time when the things of world were still without names, and rapidly moves through to the modern era of science and industrialization. It follows multiple generations of the Buendía family, and with them the rise and fall of the fictional city of Maconda and the history of Colombia. More than that (as if that’s not much at all) it’s a book about personal histories, the lies we tell ourselves and each other.
García Márquez evokes a world that is fantastic and mysterious while still very grounded in the passions of everyday life. It is almost as if the book was written from the straightforward perspective of a child: common-place objects and events take on magical qualities, and the strange becomes perfectly ordinary. Fact and fiction intermingle as the members of the Buendía family give shape to their lives.
This is a masterpiece of literature, and with it García Márquez captures a universal humanity with finely-wrought detail and poetic grace.
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It’s been sitting on my shelf for years and you just convinced me to read it next. i still have a few hundred pages to go in The Count of Monte Cristo though. which, if anybody cares, i would recommend.
I’ve had a copy for years too that I haven’t read. Given to me by a girl I dated who had incredibly good personal style.
My wife gave me the Count of Monte Cristo which I started but haven’t finished. Uggh, I sound illiterate.
Absolutely. I honestly believe that this book should be compulsory reading.
“Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano
Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him
to discover ice.”
I’m three quarters of the way through this, and I already have friends asking to borrow it when I’m through.
Although García Márquez received an honorary degree from Columbia University, I believe the book deals with the history of Colombia, not the history of Columbia. I realized that they are spelled differently just a few years ago, and ever since then it’s been one of those things I can’t stop noticing.
Sounds great. Picked one up today. If anyone’s interested in something that sounds of the same ilk, a great thought-provoking read: Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
I don’t see the allure of this one. It seemed to drag on with no real interesting plot lines and just be a collection of random stories that didn’t get interesting till the third fourth and then died out with a whimper at the end. I’m a big book snob and only read classic literature such as “100 Years of Solitude” but this one missed in my opinion. Maybe I need to re-read it.
I read it in Spanish and in English, and while it’s much harder for a non-native speaker to follow everything, it’s an even better experience reading García Márquez’s words as he wrote them and appreciating the poetry in the prose. I enjoyed the book immensely and highly recommend it. Maybe it’s not for everyone, but there’s a reason this book was crazy popular when it came out. He also wrote some great short stories; I really like Axolotl (it’s a pretty quick read – Spanish version: http://www.ciudadseva.com/textos/cuentos/esp/cortazar/axolotl.htm).
It’s kind of funny seeing this today, because I was just re-reading Axolotl yesterday.
Ishmael is a great book. good looks.
100 Years is great, and gets well-deserved acclaim. However, for my money, I’ll take Love in a Time of Cholera as my favorite GGM book.
Axolotl was written by Julio Cortázar.
And I’m a dumbass. Touche, good sir.
A few hundred? You are in for some excitement, that book gets insane.
“There is neither happiness nor misery in the world; there is only the comparison of one state with another, nothing more. He who has felt the deepest grief is best able to experience supreme happiness.”
A great read indeed.
Back to 100 Years of Solitude, as in any foreign language work, can anyone recommend a good translation? The PB version I picked up (at a used clothing store, no less) is translated by Gregory Rabassa (1970).
Nevermind. According to reviews, Rabassa’s is the best translation available (thank you for nothing Amazon). Why, oh why are the translators often ignored when a work is sent to the printers?
Thank you. All this praise for a book made me wonder if I was the only one who thought it was an unspectacular series of “woe are me and my people in these changing times” humanities professor catnip.
One of my favorites, and one of the best opening sentences to any book I’ve ever read: “Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.”
By the way, Marquez was extremely impressed with the English translation, and complimented it several times in an interview I heard him give on the radio.
Just read Glow, debut novel from Jessica Maria Tuccelli (jessicamariatuccelli.com). Faulknerian, evocative writing, the story of an extended family in Georgia’s Appalachian Mountains stays with you, and feels strikingly relevant in today’s world of ethnic strife.
Yes, if you still have a few hundred pages of the Count left, then you are in for one heck of a ride! I try to read as large of a variety of books as I can rather than just being pigeon-holed into one genre, but I can’t help but keep coming back to The Count of Monte Cristo. Such a good read!
Thanks for the recommendation for “100 Years of Solitude” Ben! I have been trying to decide what my “summer reads” were going to be this year, and I think I just found one to add!
Man this one has been on my shelf for years, I just don’t have the commitment to actually focus on it. You know, without beer or music.
This is one of my all time favorite reads. It really is one of those books you want to savor. Another great pick Ben. Thanks for spreading the word.
I’ve never been able to stand this book. Love in the Time of Cholera is a better use of your time.
I read this in high school. I’ve read many more books since then. Nothing, NOTHING tops this one.
The book “Pedro PAramo” by Juan Rulfo heavily influenced García Marquez and is also a very enjoyable read if anyone is interested.