English
If we were going to talk about one of the most influential contemporary writers, we would no doubt have to mention Gabriel García Márquez, because the winner of the Nobel Prize for literature is no less than a human factory of novels, stories, drama, and all things related to the written word.
Gabriel García Márquez is from Columbia, and his work is work is a key representative for all Latin American literature, since it is thanks to him that it has been able to get the global recognition it deserves. He was born in Aracataca in 1927, and today, in 2011, at the age of 84, he continues to be a passionate devotee of books and all text in general. His voice is heard, and respected the world over, and 100 Years of Solitude, the novel for which he won the Nobel Prize, has been translated into 35 languages, cementing him worldwide as one of the most remarkable, and brilliant writers of all time.
Márquez also created a literary style and genre, Magical Realism, but it is only when you read one of his novels do you truly understand the concept. He has, like many of his contemporaries, spent much of life moving from city to city, but Paris marked him in a particularly special way. He lived there during 1956, in a small hotel, spending most of his days shut away indoors writing.
Chronicle of a Death Foretold is magnificent piece of work, which fictionalises a true story passed onto Márquez in 1951, which he remembered until 1981 when he sat down to write the novel. Márquez, in the way that a journalist does, took much of his material from the facts of daily life. He observed everyday people, and created characters from them, recording landscapes to memory, from which he would form his settings. He had a gift for salvaging facts which other people would disregard, and transforming them into masterpieces of literature.
This novel in particular tells the story of a death, as indicated in the title. The reader knows in fact from the very beginning that the main protagonist is going to be killed – not only does the reader know, but the entire village in which the narrative takes place, and eventually, Santiago Nasar himself discovers that shortly, the hour of his death will be upon him. In this device, or trick employed by the author, we can appreciate his amazing capacity to draw in his readers, not letting go again until they have read the final line.
Chronicle of a Death Foretold, revolving around the murder of a young man, is also a comical, fun novel, which brilliantly showcases the authors literary tools and mastery, which is why it tends to be taught in Latin American literature modules.
If you read the complete works of the Columbian writer, you´ll discover that he writes about his life, though embellished with adjectives and metaphors. Naturally, he takes the opportunity to change the reality according to his tastes, which only creates a better story for his reader.
d.b
Rent apartments in Paris and live the city which inspired Marquez in his youth. Make like a famous author; trawl the city and let it inspire you – and read Chronicle of a death foretold; you´ll never forget it.
Translated by: Poppy
