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.
"Ben mi? Ben dünyanın en utangaç insanıyım. Ayrıca, en nazik adamıyım. Bu konuda hiçbir tartışmaya girmem."
Kendini böyle tanımlıyor, hep daha fazla ve daha fazla sevgiye ihtiyaç duyan bir kalp nemfomanı o. Aslında kesinlikle bundan daha fazlası... Röportajlar verdiğinde genellikle hikayeler, küçük kurmacalar uydurduğu kimin aklına gelirdi? Marquez bunu soru üzerine itiraf eder, bunu yakın gördüğü kişilere karşı tamamen röportajın farklılık yaratması için yaptığından ,kısa hikayeler yarattığından bahseder ve başka bir röportajında hakkındaki kurmacaları çürütmeye çalışır. Bir araştırmacı yazarın Yüzyıllık Yalnızlık 'ın asıl anlamının "Hiç kimse bizi tanımaz. Hepimiz bu dünyada kendi cam kürelerimizde yalnız yaşarız." cümlesinde yattığını söylemesine şöyle yanıt verir: "Kesinlikle doğru bir yorum. Bence herkesin kişiliğinde, tamamen gizli ve şahsi bir yan var. Bir insanı tamamen tanımanın imkansız olduğundan eminim der ve eşi Mercedes'i konuya dahil eder. Yazar için de aynı şekilde tanımlamalarda bulunmak o kadar zor ; yalınızca değişken, farklı, maceraperest, hayalperest, alaycı, umursamaz, birlikte yaşadığı insanlara mutluluk veya üzüntü veren tüm duyguları doruklarına kadar yaşatan birini hayal ediyorum. Siyasal kimliği, gazeteci kimliği ve yazar kimliği, dostlukları ve tanışlarıyla, dolu dolu ve çarpıcı bir yaşam!
... Gün alçalmaya başladığında sokağa çıkar, karakterlerimin gideceği yerlere, konuşacakları insanlara, dile ve atmosfere bakarım. Sokaklardan topladığım yepyeni malzemeler ertesi sabah çok işime yarar.
I started this book in college and just finished it today. It’s the kind of book that you enjoy picking up and returning to.
I love Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and this quote of his took on a new meaning, “what I find curious is that the great plagues have always produced great excesses. They make people want to live more”.
I'm not sure what to say about this book honestly. Perhaps I loved it because I love Latin America history and storytelling. Perhaps I love it because I'm a writer. All I can tell you is that Gabriel García Márquez is a fascinating man who seems to feel so human, yet mysterious, and humble while you read through his many different interviews. You don't feel bog down by his advice or his tangents. He just brings a level of humanity to every topic. Despite how long this book took me to get through, its one I can see myself finding a place on my bookshelf for.