One Hundred Years of Solitude

Article written by Charles Asoluka

Degree in Computer Engineering. Passed TOEFL Exam. Seasoned literary critic.

‘One Hundred Years of Solitude‘ by Gabriel García Márquez is a gripping novel that explores the power of words and reading, as well as the subjectivity of perceived reality and the interconnectedness of the past, present, and future.

Key Facts About One Hundred Years of Solitude

• Book Title: Cien Años de Soledad; One Hundred Years of Solitude
• Author: Gabriel García Márquez
• Type Of Work: Novel
• Genre: Magical realism
• Language: Spanish
• Time And Place Written: 1965–1967, Mexico City
• Date Of First Publication: 1967
• Publisher: Editorial Sudamericanos, S.A.
• Setting (Time): The early 1800s until the mid-1900s.
• Point Of View: Third person.
• Protagonist: Úrsula Iguarán
• Climax: Near the train station, the banana workers go on strike and are massacred.

Gabriel García Márquez and One Hundred Years of Solitude

Gabriel García Márquez published ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude‘ in 1967 after his debut novel, ‘In The Evil Hour,’ and two novellas — ‘Leaf Storm’ and ‘No One Writes To The Colonel.’

Gabriel García Márquez contributed novels that upheld the right of the invention along with contemporaries like Alejo Carpentier in Cuba, Miguel Angel Asturias in Guatemala, Agustin Yanez in Mexico, and Leopoldo Marechal in Argentina. The creation of new worlds, not the mirroring of preexisting topics, was the focus of the works. Magic realism, which is the sober insertion of strange or mythical aspects into otherwise realistic storytelling, is one approach that emerged in this literature.

Books Related to The Stranger

• ‘Crime and Punishment‘ by Fyodor Dostoevsky detail the story of Raskolnikov, a former student who is homeless and miserable, goes through the slums of St. Petersburg, and kills someone at random without feeling guilty or sorrow. He sees himself as a great man, like Napoleon, who goes above and beyond the bounds of morality.
• ‘The Tale of Kenji by Murasaki Shikibu is a magnificent depiction of court life in medieval Japan, which was written in the eleventh century, and is usually regarded as the world’s first novel. The Shining Prince, Genji, is the offspring of an emperor. His turbulent personality, family dynamics, romantic relationships, allegiances, and shifting political fortunes serve as the central themes of this magnificent epic. He is a passionate character.
• ‘Love In The Time of Cholera‘ by Gabriel García Márquez tells the story of Fermina Daza and Florentino Ariza, who experience a passionate love affair when they are young. Florentino is devastated when Fermina ultimately decides to wed a wealthy, well-off doctor, yet he is a romantic. He passes the time in 622 affairs while his corporate career progresses, but he saves his heart for Fermina.
• ‘War and Peace‘ by Leo Tolstoy is a collection of stories, history, and philosophy, among others, wherein Tolstoy perceived a tragedy involving all of humanity in Russia’s conflict with Napoleon. War and Peace is more than just a history book; it is an affirmation of life itself, or, in the words of one modern reviewer, “a full picture of everything in which humans find their happiness and greatness, their pain and humiliation.”
• ‘The Master and The Margarita‘ by Mikhail Bulgakov involves a tale of The devil traveling to Moscow one hot spring with a retinue that includes a stunning nude witch and a huge talking black cat who enjoys chess and alcohol. The visitors swiftly cause chaos in a town where neither God nor Satan is believed in.

The Lasting Impact of One Hundred Years of Solitude