Θάνατος σταθερός πέρα από τον έρωτα

by Gabriel García Márquez, Κλαίτη Σωτηριάδου-Μπαράχας (Translator)

Sevgiden Öte Sürekli Ölüm, Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez'in hayata, yaşama, çaresizliğe ve ölüme dair geniş bir hayal gücünün eseri olan 12 öyküden oluşuyor.

Genres: Short Stories, Classics, Fiction, Magical Realism, Adult, School, Nobel Prize

100 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Gabriel José de la Concordia Garcí­a Márquez was a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist. Garcí­a Márquez, familiarly known as "Gabo" in his native country, was considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century. In 1982, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

He studied at the University of Bogotá and later worked as a reporter for the Colombian newspaper El Espectador and as a foreign correspondent in Rome, Paris, Barcelona, Caracas, and New York. He wrote many acclaimed non-fiction works and short stories, but is best-known for his novels, such as One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967) and Love in the Time of Cholera (1985). His works have achieved significant critical acclaim and widespread commercial success, most notably for popularizing a literary style labeled as magical realism, which uses magical elements and events in order to explain real experiences. Some of his works are set in a fictional village called Macondo, and most of them express the theme of solitude.

Having previously written shorter fiction and screenplays, García Márquez sequestered himself away in his Mexico City home for an extended period of time to complete his novel Cien años de soledad, or One Hundred Years of Solitude, published in 1967. The author drew international acclaim for the work, which ultimately sold tens of millions of copies worldwide. García Márquez is credited with helping introduce an array of readers to magical realism, a genre that combines more conventional storytelling forms with vivid, layers of fantasy.

Another one of his novels, El amor en los tiempos del cólera (1985), or Love in the Time of Cholera, drew a large global audience as well. The work was partially based on his parents' courtship and was adapted into a 2007 film starring Javier Bardem. García Márquez wrote seven novels during his life, with additional titles that include El general en su laberinto (1989), or The General in His Labyrinth, and Del amor y otros demonios (1994), or Of Love and Other Demons.

(Arabic: جابرييل جارسيا ماركيز) (Hebrew: גבריאל גארסיה מרקס) (Ukrainian: Ґабріель Ґарсія Маркес) (Belarussian: Габрыель Гарсія Маркес) (Russian: Габриэль Гарсия Маркес)

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do not like Marquez's writing. I have tried him multiple times, but I find his views shallow. He confuses love and lust constantly and I do not appreciate his condescension toward women.

[Connie G · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Senator Onesimo Sanchez had six months and eleven days to go before his death when he found the woman of his life." This sentence, with the Senator's terrible prognosis, opens the story. He decided to live his life with no changes, and was engaged in his usual electoral campaign stops. He took some pills for pain, then continued making speeches with deceptive political promises. Laura Farina came to him in the evening, sent by her father to bribe the Senator to obtain an important favor. It did not matter to Death that the Senator had found love in his life when he met Laura Farina. He still died six months and eleven days later. Death is a force which we cannot control or deceive, and which we face alone.

The title is a reverse of the famous phrase, "Love Constant Beyond Death," seen in poetry and greeting cards. As I was reading the story, I was thinking that this would have been an entirely different story if it was told from teenager Laura Farina's point of view, and I wonder if it would have had "love" in the title.

[Luthfi Ferizqi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first work by Gabriel Garcia Marquez that I’ve read, and it will serve as an introduction to his major works, as this is a short story published in the 1970s.

The story is quite dark and grim, with the title “Love” being somewhat misleading, as the Senator is awaiting death within six months without any love at all.

In the near future, I’m eager to explore more works from this Nobel Prize-winning author. However, his books in Indonesia are quite expensive due to their rarity.

[Joselito Honestly and Brilliantly · Rating 5 out of 5]

When he met the most beautiful girl in Rosal del Virrey, 19-year-old Laura Farina, Senator Onesimo Sanchez had 6 months and 11 days left before his death by a fatal illness for which he was then suffering occasional pain. Yet being told by his doctor that he won't last till Christmas did not deter him from doing what he had been doing when death was but a remote possibility. He immersed himself in his political campaign, his usual circus of lies and empty promises, his false theatrics designed to attract votes, some little favors here and there all carefully publicized for maximum effect. The lovely Laura Farina was a gift by a poor widower with criminal background in exchanged for a long sought-for favor.

The title "Death Constant Beyond Love" seemingly mocks the ambitious claim of that famous sonnet by the Spanish Golden Age writer Quevedo (1580-1645) according to which there is "Love Constant Beyond Death." Here, Senator Onesimo Sanchez, in possibly the most lively, eros-filled moment in a man's existence--naked in bed with a young, beautiful woman (and most likely a virgin)--would find the need to close his eyes, and meet himself in the darkness, and shudder, and remember a passage in Marcus Aurelius's "Meditations":

"Remember that whether it's you or someone else, it won't be long before you'll be dead and it won't be long before your name won't even be left."

Marvelous excellence constant beyond death from my favorite Colombian novelist, Gabriel Jose de la Concordia Garcia Marquez.

[tyranus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marquez, benim en sevdiğim yazar. Toplumsal gerçekleri büyülü-fantastik öğelerle-benzetmelerle anlatması, diğer yazarlardan ayırıyor Marquezi. Bu kitabında da, yoksulluğu, yolsuzluğu, kimsesizliği-bir başına bırakılmışlığı, çaresizliği anlatıyor kısa öykülerle. Latin Amerikanın çaresiz, kimsesiz insanlarının öyküleridir bu kitapta okuyacaklarınız.

[Lori Keeton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have only read this short story by Marquez. I have Love in the Time of Cholera on my shelf waiting to be read. But, I’m not sure he is a writer of stories for me. The reason is simple, I look for redeeming qualities in the characters. Here, I found none. And there were only three to choose from. A dying politician who stands for empty promises, a greedy man who sees an opportunity to bribe the politician for something he desires, and the beautiful daughter of the briber who is the bribe itself. The story was a theme on death and it’s hold on all of our lives. Death is imminent and nothing will stop it, even love, or what is thought to be love.

[Hager Mohamed · Rating 3 out of 5]

جميل أن يكون بصُحبة المرء أحد عندما يكون وحيدًا تمامًا.

[Federico DN · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.

This was ok, but not going to review it.

For the moment at least.

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PERSONAL NOTE :
[1970] [20p] [Fiction] [Not Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------

★★★★☆ Chronicle of a Death Foretold.
★★★★☆ Of Love and Other Demons. [3.5]
★★★☆☆ The Autumn of the Patriarch. [3.5]
★★★☆☆ The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor.
★★☆☆☆ No One Writes to the Colonel. [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ Strange Pilgrims: Twelve Stories.
★☆☆☆☆ Innocent Erendira and Other Stories. [1.5] <--

-----------------------------------------------

Meh.

Esto estuvo ok, pero no voy a reseñarlo.

Al menos por ahora.

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NOTA PERSONAL :
[1970] [20p] [Ficción] [No Recomendable]
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[lour · Rating 3 out of 5]

"La oportunidad de vivir algo hermoso viene de parte de un presidiario, de un asesino desalmado, que observa distendido y relajado desde su “chinchorro”. Simboliza entonces, que lo mejor que nos puede pasar en la vida puede venir de la persona menos apropiada, en el lugar menos esperado. Se puede obtener belleza hasta de lo más horrendo."

[Rudy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

[Kuro Neko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okuduğum en depresif Marquez kitabıydı. Yüzyıllık Yalnızlık, Kırmızı Pazartesi, Albaya Mektup Yazan Yok, Kolera Günlerinde aşk gibi eserlerinin karakterlerinini de barından kısa öyküler bulunmakta.

[Abeer Abdelhamid · Rating 3 out of 5]

قصة فصيرة تدور حول السيناتور أونيسمو سانشيز ولقائه مع المرأة التي انتظرها طوال عمره، وذلك بعد ان اخيره الاطباء انه لا يزال أمامه ستة أشهر وأحد عشر يوماً قبل أن توافيه المنية
"جميل أن يكون بصحبة المرء أحد عندما يكون وحيداً تماماً"
يمكن قراءة القصة بالكامل من هنا
https://www.rewity.com/forum/t25802.html

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

mid

[amal]

Was alright, read it for my world lit course. I feel like it’s difficult for me to give my thoughts on short stories since I usually find them “ narrow “

[Kate Mayer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gabriel Garcia-Marquez and his short story “Death Constant Beyond Love” are a bit of an enigma to me. The story starts off with a foolish politician who does nothing but lie and twist his stories for his own benefit, although he’s eventually coerced into granting a favor for someone who is not at all his friend or supporter, all due for his yearn to not be alone for the night. The beginning of the story starts with the politician in slight pain due to his upcoming death in six months, which supposedly is supposed to make the reader wonder why he isn’t enjoying his life and doing something truly exhilarating instead of continuing his political campaign, but that thought seems to become irrelevant as soon as the politician begins to try to court a young maiden to bed, just to be met with a chastity belt which only the maiden’s father has the key to. The story ends with the politician sending one of his lackeys off for the key, although he’ll have to issue a fake ID to the father in return, and then alludes to the politician dying a lonesome death while being scorned in the public eye for having an affair with the young maiden. Perhaps this entire story’s purpose is to show that those who are corrupt and selfish will be met with unwanted ends, or perhaps not. The story seemed to have a solid foundation, but for me, the pieces just didn’t align properly enough to really give it anything above 3 stars. It seemed jumbled and mismatched together, all while ending quickly and not truly leaving the reader with any more knowledge or acknowledgments than they began with.

[Mahmoud Rasheed · Rating 4 out of 5]

القصة القصيرة فن أدبي له عبقرياته الخاصه
كنت مولع بتشيخوف وأسلوبه في الفريد في القصة القصيرة

ماركيز له أسلوب من نوع آخر .. أسلوب سحري خيالي

[Nour · Rating 4 out of 5]

هذا ما يجب أن تكون عليه القصة القصيرة .
لم تأت عزلة ماركيز من فراغ .. بل تكونت من قطع صغيرة كهذه القصة متراصة بجانب بعضها البعض.
يمكن أيضًا أن ننصب ماركيز بكل الاقتناع و الاستحقاق الموجودين بهذا العالم أفضل من يفتتح كتبه و قصصه و بطل الأدب الأول في الجمل الافتتاحية بلا منازع.

" اللعنة ! الرب يأتي أكثر الأمور جنونًا "

" كان جمالها الحارق أكثر إلحاحًا حتى من الألم الذي يعانيه "

" يقولون إنك أسوأ من الباقيين لأنك مختلف عنهم "

[Athena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent short story. Marquez explores the baser human emotions such as desire, lust, frustration, revenge, in less that 10 pages. To be able to understand solitude and loneliness, one must give in to it and somewhere Marquez has managed to illustrate the beauty of it in almost every piece he has written. Short, loaded and a delightful read.

[Muayad ALhazzaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

"انسِ أمر المفتاح، ونامي قليلاً معي. جميل أن يكون بصحبة المرء أحد عندما يكون وحيداً تماماً".

يصر ماركيز حتى في القصة القصيرة على العزلة ربما لأنه ينتمي "لبرج العزلة".
يستطيع المرء أن يستشعر لذة العزلة التي عاشها ماركيز ونحتها بنصوص أدبية نادرة .
"الموت أقوى من الحب " واحد من تلك النصوص التي تجعل من اللاشيء واللامكان قصة تستحق أن يتناولها المرء كزجاجة نبيذ تزيد من هشاشته ومن كئابته !

[Khaled Awad · Rating 1 out of 5]

ليست رواية وإنما قصة قصيرة
كتبها ماركيز -ربما- في لحظة يأس

[Jacob Madden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death Constant of Love is a short story by Gabriel Garcia Màrquez. The story is about a senator by the name of Onesimo Sanchez with a terminal illness, he only has a mere 6 months and 11 days of life left within him. Despite this he’s still running for re-election AND keeping his illness hidden from everyone. His campaigns are known as a “circus” by the people because his speeches get repeated and he often puts on a show. After one of his speeches Onesimo ran into a man by the name of Nelson Farina who was with his daughter, which Onesimo was quite attracted to. Noticing that she caught Onesimo’s eye Nelson offers her body to Onesimo IF he could help him with some legal troubles. Sanchez agrees and the story ends with him dying in bed with her, but never getting to lay with her. A huge scandal came from this and as a result his family got disgraced.The senator essentially forgot he wanted to die in an honorable manner and could have avoided this situation because he knew he didn’t much time left. I personally think the story was great, it explored many themes and concepts with few pages. I only rated it 4 stars because I don’t think it’s the best book I’ve ever read, it slightly irritated me how Sanchez lived his last days in such a selfish manner and ended up hurting his family too. Besides that knitpick I think the story was executed in a great manner.

[Kate Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story is about a politician who puts on a facade and tries to sell people this idea that if they elect him their lives will suddenly become better. The man is very sick and has a terminal sickness but nobody knows about it. While in a boring desert town on his normal election campaign he meets a man who he has met many times before. The man had killed his first wife and his second had died of natural causes. He was hiding in the desert town because he wanted to be free from the crime he had committed with his first wife. Every time the politician had come to town he had asked him for a new name and a fake id but the politician had politely declined. The criminal did have a daughter with his late wife and she was beautiful and when the politician saw her he knew he wanted her. So, thinking that he could perhaps get his new id the criminal sent his daughter to the politician and they dated and stuff. But the criminal never got his new id and the scandal between the married politician and the daughter didn't last long because the politician died as he was supposed to. In the end, I think it was supposed to mean that even though we try to make everything good and nice-looking in our lives nobody can deny the inevitable truth of death. I gave this short story a 5-stat rating because it has so much meaning and room for interpretation.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book “Death Constant Beyond Love” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez was about the senator Onesimo Sanchez and his last months of life. He is told by his doctors that he only has about half a month to live and in this time he meets the woman he falls in love with. He is in Rosal del Virrey to give the people of the city a speech for his political campaign when he meets the young woman. The girls father had requested the Senator many times before for a fake ID so he can be protected and every time the Senator rejected his request. It wasn’t until the Senator was with the young girl and found that she had a chastity belt that would only be unlocked if he got her father a fake ID. So then he sends his people to get the key and fills the father’s request. The Senator gets to die a few months later in the arms of the young girl. I gave this story 3 starts because it was kind of all over the place and confusing. Although the writing and the story was good I did not like how it ended. I shows that the Senator was a bad man because he only gave the poor father his wishes when the man finally had something in return. It doesn’t seem fair that he got to die side by side his love when the rest of the town, like the old man, are suffering. I wish the ending was different but it was still a good story nonetheless.

[Kamya · Rating 2 out of 5]

This short story called Death Constant Beyond Love by Gabriel García Márquez. This story is about a man who is the senator and he has recently found out that he only has six months and eleven days to live. Senator Sánchez is married with five children and was living a relatively happy live before he found out about his expected death. Although he knows that he doesn’t have much time left he decided that he would run for re-election, and in the meantime he doesn’t tell anyone about how he is supposed to die in just a few months. Then, later in the story we meet Nelson Farina who has a beautiful daughter named Laura Farina. Nelson had previously asked Senator Sánchez to help him receive a new identity card with would place him “beyond the reach of law”. Sánchez had refused each time he asked. Then, as Sánchez was walking through the streets he saw Laura and he was left breathless by her beauty. Nelson saw the infatuation and took it upon himself to dress his daughter and sent her as an offering to Sánchez. Sánchez finally caved in and no one new about their “affair”. Sánchez dies six months and eleven days later. I give this story two stars because I’m not really a fan of the plot that was going on and I was bored.

[Rebekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The themes of political shallowness, insincerity, mortality, and generally the dark side of humanity are done very well in this short story. The story and characterization are excellently crafted. However, I don't enjoy it due to the way the poor girl in this story is used. Surely the fact that she has no agency is part of the point, but it's still very depressing. Our whole (mostly female) literature class had a hard time liking this because of that issue, and it was annoying that our male professor didn't seem to be as troubled by it as we were. I do believe the story has some merit, but that aspect of it is pretty dated and makes me question why this story in particular was chosen to be taught. Although that is an experience independent of the story, of course, so I have tried not to let that color my rating.

[Caitlin Pickert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death Constant Beyond Love by Gabriel Garcia Marquez begins with a man named Senator Sanchez finding out he has exactly six months and 11 days left to live. Despite his fate, the senator decides it is important to continue his political duties. He travels to Rosal de Virrey to give a re-election speech and in the process makes promises to the voters he cannot fulfill. After the speech, Senator Sanchez runs into a man named Nelson Farina and his daughter, Laura. Who the Senator finds very attractive, Nelson offers to let him have relations with her if he takes care of some of his legal troubles he is experiencing. The senator agrees, but before he can sleep with Laura, he dies in bed with her which causes a scandal and disgracing his family. I gave this book 4 stars out of 5 because I thought it was an interesting story but it's not something I would choose to read on my own.

[Maggie Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death Constant Beyond Love by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez is a story about a senator by the name of Onesimo Sanchez who has six months and eleven days before his death. The Senator crosses the desert for his electoral campaign, and he tells empty promises to the crowd to make them believe that he will make changes. In the village a man by the name of Nelson Farina who always asks of the Senator for a favor to help him rid of his criminal past, however Nelson didn’t ask. Laura Farina is the daughter of Nelson, and she is sought to be very attractive. Nelson sends his daughter to the Senator, then Sanchez tries to sleep with her but he can only do that if he straightens Nelson’s situation. Sanchez agrees, but before he sleeps with her he dies of his illness in her arms. I rated it 4 out 5 stars, because I’ve never read anything like this and I find it interesting.

[Lannie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Senator Sanchez becomes another casualty to the often misguided and misused teachings of Marcus Aurelius.

In this story, we se a corrupt and selfish senator who is guided not by a search for love, but a lust for power and longevity. His inescapable and slow-bleeding death, like Aurelius reminds us, is just what happens. We'll die, and our names will disappear. So we get to see the closest thing the senator has in his life of love: a dalliance with an underaged woman in exchange for political favors. This moment is an ironic thing, since it's not even close to what love can be, and not only will he die without seeing anything more valuable, but even his legacy which he would certainly care for is marred by the affair.

Not my favorite Marquez by any stretch, but certainly a thoughtful one.

[Grace Tinder · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great short story. The author, Marquez, puts his audience through many emotions throughout the story. I felt connected to the main character, Senator Sanchez, through his solitude and seclusion while his life was coming to an end. Even though he knows he has exactly six months and eleven days to live, but he still believes it is his responsibility to fulfill his political duties. During a speech he gives, he makes promises for the future that he won’t be able to accomplish. After the speech he run into a man and his beautiful daughter. The man says Sanchez can date his daughter but only if he helps him out with something. This story is short but filled to the max which makes it so interesting. I gave it four stars because I wouldn’t pick it for myself, but I did enjoy it.

[Hannah Mand · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Death Constant Beyond Love by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez. In this story, Senator Oneismo Sanchez, who was 6 months away from his death, goes to Rosal del Virrey, a city in the desert. He goes there for his electoral campaign in which he promises to bring change and beauty to this city. He ends up meeting beautiful woman named Laura Farina who is the daughter of Nelson Farina, someone who the Senator has met several times along his campaign. The Senator end up falling in love with this woman even though he has a wife and five kids. He realizes in the end what a scandal this would be and that he will die without Laura. I gave this story 4/5 stars because I loved the way the author described the scenery and everything but I just wasn’t that interested in the story.