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RIP: Gabriel García Márquez

Andalublue

Andalublue

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Sad, but not unexpected news.

BBC News - Author Gabriel Garcia Marquez dies

His books have given me endless hours of pleasure and have entertained, moved and provoked in equal measures. Someone important (although clearly not so important that I can remember their name) once said that García Márquez (known as Gabo) was the greatest novelist of the 20th century in the Spanish language. I'm sure there are some great contenders, but I'd argue that he was the greatest novelist of the 20th century. Period.

The sadness of his death is certainly tempered by the fact that he lived 87 long years of productive, creative life; he wasn't short-changed, especially when you remember that for many of those years he was a six-pack-a-day smoker, prodigious drinker, and wasn't unfamiliar with a certain type of commercial establishment where ladies frequent.

I hope his passing will encourage a few people to pick up one of his books and wallow in his genius for characterisation, flights of imagination and breathtaking descriptive powers. Try Love in the time of cholera, or One hundred years of solitude for a start, and then think on the talent and brilliance we have just lost.

RIP Gabo. You were a truly great artist.

For those feeling sad, this is what the man himself once said:

"No llores porque ya se terminó, sonríe porque sucedió."

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
 
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Reminds me of a Spanish Charles Bukowski.
 
Andalublue said:
Sad, but not unexpected news.

BBC News - Author Gabriel Garcia Marquez dies

His books have given me endless hours of pleasure and have entertained, moved and provoked in equal measures. Someone important (although clearly not so important that I can remember their name) once said that García Márquez (known as Gabo) was the greatest novelist of the 20th century in the Spanish language. I'm sure there are some great contenders, but I'd argue that he was the greatest novelist of the 20th century. Period.

The sadness of his death is certainly tempered by the fact that he lived 87 long years of productive, creative life; he wasn't short-changed, especially when you remember that for many of those years he was a six-pack-a-day smoker, prodigious drinker, and wasn't unfamiliar with a certain type of commercial establishment where ladies frequent.

I hope his passing will encourage a few people to pick up one of his books and wallow in his genius for characterisation, flights of imagination and breathtaking descriptive powers. Try Love in the time of cholera, or One hundred years of solitude for a start, and then think on the talent and brilliance we have just lost.

RIP Gabo. You were a truly great artist.

For those feeling sad, this is what the man himself once said:

"No llores porque ya se terminó, sonríe porque sucedió."

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
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One Hundred Years of Solitude is one of the worst books I ever read. Mr. Brown is the only admirable character.:peace
 
Jack Hays said:
One Hundred Years of Solitude is one of the worst books I ever read. Mr. Brown is the only admirable character.:peace
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Hey, literature's a subjective thing. Not everyone will like everything, but I think you're in a bit of a minority in not rating OHYOS. Each to their own. One quick question: is it your opinion that it's one of the worst books you ever read because Mr Brown is the only admirable character? Or were those two sentences unrelated?
 
I read his novel Love in the Time of Cholera for my romantic novel course in college, I attended that elective because there were a lot of hot girls in it... :2razz:
 
PoS said:
I read his novel Love in the Time of Cholera for my romantic novel course in college, I attended that elective because there were a lot of hot girls in it... :2razz:
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You didn't mention whether you liked the book. For me, it's the Márquez novel that gave me the most pleasure. Just sublime!
 
Andalublue said:
You didn't mention whether you liked the book. For me, it's the Márquez novel that gave me the most pleasure. Just sublime!
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It was okay, I was rather taken aback that the protagonist waited for so long but such is love I guess. Of course my kind of love is superficial and I would have moved onto to other women long before he did. I care only for looks. ;)
 
PoS said:
It was okay, I was rather taken aback that the protagonist waited for so long but such is love I guess. Of course my kind of love is superficial and I would have moved onto to other women long before he did. I care only for looks. ;)
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I interpreted Ariza's devotion as having as much to do with being in love with a certain idea of love as it was with being in love with Fermina Daza herself. I thought there was a lot of Count Orsino from Twelfth Night in him. "If music be the food of love...etc"
 
Andalublue said:
Sad, but not unexpected news.

BBC News - Author Gabriel Garcia Marquez dies

His books have given me endless hours of pleasure and have entertained, moved and provoked in equal measures. Someone important (although clearly not so important that I can remember their name) once said that García Márquez (known as Gabo) was the greatest novelist of the 20th century in the Spanish language. I'm sure there are some great contenders, but I'd argue that he was the greatest novelist of the 20th century. Period.

The sadness of his death is certainly tempered by the fact that he lived 87 long years of productive, creative life; he wasn't short-changed, especially when you remember that for many of those years he was a six-pack-a-day smoker, prodigious drinker, and wasn't unfamiliar with a certain type of commercial establishment where ladies frequent.

I hope his passing will encourage a few people to pick up one of his books and wallow in his genius for characterisation, flights of imagination and breathtaking descriptive powers. Try Love in the time of cholera, or One hundred years of solitude for a start, and then think on the talent and brilliance we have just lost.

RIP Gabo. You were a truly great artist.

For those feeling sad, this is what the man himself once said:

"No llores porque ya se terminó, sonríe porque sucedió."

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
Click to expand...

bummer-as a sophomore in college I was assigned his 100 Years of Solitude in a "politics in literature" class an read it one night before an exam-re-read it several times and realized it was one of the best books ever written.
 
Andalublue said:
Hey, literature's a subjective thing. Not everyone will like everything, but I think you're in a bit of a minority in not rating OHYOS. Each to their own. One quick question: is it your opinion that it's one of the worst books you ever read because Mr Brown is the only admirable character? Or were those two sentences unrelated?
Click to expand...

Mr. Brown was the only thing I liked.
 
PoS said:
I read his novel Love in the Time of Cholera for my romantic novel course in college, I attended that elective because there were a lot of hot girls in it... :2razz:
Click to expand...

That was a terrific book.

And they did a good job with the movie a few years back.

RIP Gabo.
 
Henry David said:
And they did a good job with the movie a few years back.
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I thought so too, but I read some terrible reviews of it. I thought it was rather beautifully done, especially Bardém capturing that complicated blend of romantic, gauche and just a little bit creepy. That's such a wonderfully complex and nuanced characterisation.
 
Andalublue said:
I thought so too, but I read some terrible reviews of it. I thought it was rather beautifully done, especially Bardém capturing that complicated blend of romantic, gauche and just a little bit creepy. That's such a wonderfully complex and nuanced characterisation.
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Yeah, it was a good movie- watched it on DVD a few months back. Ive watched close to a dozen Javier Bardem movies and he's never made a bad one.
 
PoS said:
Yeah, it was a good movie- watched it on DVD a few months back. Ive watched close to a dozen Javier Bardem movies and he's never made a bad one.
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Then you obviously haven't yet seen The Counselor; that's quite a turkey!

If you can find it, see if you can get a subtitled DVD of Mondays in the Sun. It's a brilliant, smal-budget, human drama set amongst the unemployed of Vigo in Galicia. Bardem is great in it.
 
Jack Hays said:
Mr. Brown was the only thing I liked.
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I'm about half way through OHYOS, so far there's no a Mr Brown and not even a hint of an Anglo-Saxon character. I'm becoming slightly suspicious of your post. Time will tell, but sor far it's a brilliant novel.
 
Andalublue said:
I'm about half way through OHYOS, so far there's no a Mr Brown and not even a hint of an Anglo-Saxon character. I'm becoming slightly suspicious of your post. Time will tell, but sor far it's a brilliant novel.
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The character exists but "admirable" is an odd adjective to use.
 
Haven't read any of his books yet, but I will add one of the 2 to my reading list for this summer.
 
Ben K. said:
The character exists but "admirable" is an odd adjective to use.
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Oh, okay. He hasn't appeared yet (p. 160 in my version), so I'm now intrigued. That he couldn't find another attractive character in it seems bizarre. The matriarch, Úrsula is a wonderful character, as is Melquíades and José Arcadio senior, before he becomes uncontrollably obsessive. I can see why some might find the style of the novel odd or over-complicated (it doesn't help having so many Arcadios, Aurelios and Josés) or that they might jibe at the whole magical-realism bit, but to say there are no admirable or likeable characters probably says more about the person making the comment than about the novel.
 
Andalublue said:
Oh, okay. He hasn't appeared yet (p. 160 in my version), so I'm now intrigued. That he couldn't find another attractive character in it seems bizarre. The matriarch, Úrsula is a wonderful character, as is Melquíades and José Arcadio senior, before he becomes uncontrollably obsessive. I can see why some might find the style of the novel odd or over-complicated (it doesn't help having so many Arcadios, Aurelios and Josés) or that they might jibe at the whole magical-realism bit, but to say there are no admirable or likeable characters probably says more about the person making the comment than about the novel.
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I can only guess at the motivation. I think you'll reach a similar conclusion once you're finished.
 
Oddly I've always had trouble with Spanish authors. I've tried reading Cervantes several times and have started and stopped "The General in His Labyrinth" three times over the years. Marquez is a great writer - I know my wife told me so :) - but I can't seem to get engrossed in the book. Maybe something's lost in the translation and it works better in Spanish? I know that's for certain with Don Quoxite.
 
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