From my early beginnings as a young introvert, the public library has always been a bit of a refuge. Years later, not much has changed, albeit with an additional affinity for endless hours spent scouring second-hand bookstores to add to my ever-growing “to-read” pile.
From one bookworm to another, this column will be underscoring and outlining various literary genres, authors, and recent reads and can serve as an introduction for those unfamiliar with these works, as a refresher for long-time aficionados, and maybe as an inspiration for readers to share their own suggested topics. Do you have a topic that you would like covered in this column? Feel free to contact me for an interview and a feature in an upcoming column.
Who
This column serves as an introduction to works of Gabriel García Márquez, a reminder of some of the author’s classics, and as an inspiration for further reading.
Born in 1927 in Aracataca, Colombia, García Márquez is a celebrated Colombian author, screenwriter, and journalist who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982. Over the years, he lived abroad in Paris, New York, Barcelona, and Mexico.
García Márquez is well-known for his magic realism style, in which he “integrates elements of fantasy into otherwise realistic settings.”
Along with Peruvian Mario Vargas Llosa, Mexican Carlos Fuentes, and Argentine Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortázar, García Márquez is considered one of the main writers of the Latin American Boom years of the 1960s and 1970s. To this day, the author “is the best-known Latin American writer in history.” His Spanish-language works can be found in a variety of translations, including English.
Authors similar to García Márquez include Cuban Alejo Carpentier, author of The Kingdom of this World (El Reino de este Mundo) and Chilean Isabel Allende, author of works, such as The House of the Spirits (La Casa de Los Espiritus) and Of Love and Shadows (De Amor y De Sombra.)
What
Some best-known literary works include 100 Years of Solitude (Cien Años de Soledad) and Love in the Time of Cholera (Amor en Los Tiempos del Colera).
Others include Chronicle of a Death Foretold (Cronica de una Muerte Anunciada) and No One Writes to the Coronel (El Colonel No Tiene Quein Le Escriba).
For students interested in García Márquez’s journalism, consider News of a Kidnapping (Noticia de un Secuestro), which details the kidnappings of several Colombians during the 1990s.
Where
Many of these works take place throughout Colombia.
When
Many of these works take place during the 20th-century.
Why
The works of García Márquez may be of interest to students who would like to learn more about the history, traditions, and culture of Colombia, magic realism as a genre in literature, and the Latin American Boom years.
How
AU’s wide range of diverse courses make it easy to study this topic in depth. Courses related to the works of Gabriel García Márquez are available in a variety of disciplines, including one’s that may fit into your Degree Works. (Always check with a counsellor to see if these particular courses fulfill your personal graduation requirements!)
AU students interested in learning more about this topic may consider SPAN 300: Intermediate Spanish I, a senior-level, three-credit course, which “reviews and further develops basic language skills acquired in first year Spanish.” (Note that this course requires SPAN 201: Spanish for Beginners II or equivalent.) At the time of writing, this course was currently under revision. Happy reading!