Nobel Laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez a Champion for Latin American Solitude

The works of the late 1982 Columbian literary Nobel Laureate Gabriel Garica Marquez reflect not only the sentiments of postcolonial Columbians, but also the surreal realities lived by Latin Americans in the New World. This surreal reality is what Marquez has become synonymous with — magic realism. The literary genre, magic realism, can be found in Marquez’s books and short stories such as 100 Years of Solitude and “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings”. Literary critics and audience alike have marveled at how Marquez masterfully connected the ethereal and the mundane with such precision in diction and syntax that the narratives seem more than commonplace but actually feasible and tangible. In Marquez’s Nobel Prize Lecture, he champions the experience of Latin Americans and its influence on his stories. In general, he then theorizes that the experience of Latin America is, in fact, an experience of solitude, in which buds great curiosity and inquiry. In his lecture, Marquez contends that Latin American lives are divinely magical and thus their experience cannot be understood; consequently, leaving them in a state of seclusion. His works are catalysts for social, political and cultural change. His lecture works to embody not only his sentiments but also those of his community. The Latin community is in seclusion because it is not understood by its counterparts.

Marquez’s lecture dissents arguments that the Latin American experience is that of community. In his lecture, Marquez argues that the life of a Latin American is that of solitude and magic realism. He also theorizes that the reason for Latin Americans not being misunderstood is, because their experience is unbelievable. He writes: “For our crucial problem has been a lack of co...

... middle of paper ...

... a decision to support such a despot brings about pros and cons.

Though I disagree with his political stance, I thoroughly enjoy the work of Nobel Laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez. His short story “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” is one of my favorite cuentos. As aforementioned, Marquez’s work brought attention to a revolutionary, innovative literary genre that brought focus to a marginalized and ignored culture. Furthermore, his civic work as a journalist compliments his tactfulness in narration — connecting both Woolf’s interior monologue with Faulkner eccentric small-town locales. His lecture and his works not only bring about a voice to the voiceless of Latin America, but they also call to action support from the world.

Works Cited

Barco, Mandalit Del. "Writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Who Gave Voice To Latin America, Dies." NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 02 May 2014.